Final Fantasy VIII: Fate Deceived
by DarkFlameWolf
Summary: It has been one year since the second Sorceress war and Ultimecia has been removed from existence in the present timeline. Squall and his friends are left with the task of rebuilding SeeD and the rest of the world in her wake. However a dark secret from Esthar's past comes to light and threatens their hard won peace. Rated M for extreme violence & strong sexual themes. (Dead Fic)
1. Chapter 1 - Operation Abort

_I do not wish to remain stagnant. As much as people want me to write more in the Zeldaverse, I have more ideas for other games that I wish to see to fruition. So thus my second fanfic I've ever written comes to pass...and I have chosen Final Fantasy VIII's world as the stage with which to depict my grand set piece. I hope you all come join me for the ride on this new and exciting journey. This will be another massive, epic adventure similar in vein to Zelda's Honor but its going to be a bit more personal. With a smaller ensemble cast, I can focus more on the relationships and personal character arcs that I couldn't before. I hope you enjoy this first chapter and the many more to come after. Welcome to the world of SeeD._

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The soft buzzing of the alarm penetrated her senses as sleep began to dissipate from her mind. She opened her eyes to see the white, smooth ceiling above her, interspersed with flashes of green or blue; electric currents traveling through the structure to provide power to the various compounds within it. Rolling over in the soft, cotton blankets, she squinted her eyes as the automatic blinds removed themselves elegantly up into the ceiling, revealing the glorious cityscape below.

Raising a hand to shield herself from the glare of the invading sun through the window, she tore the covers off and sat up on the bed, still groggy from the night before. Why did she have to get the room in direct view of the rising sun? With a grumble she placed both feet down with a contented moan. The floor was internally heated and it felt luxurious. She was so used to the cold, tiled flooring of the Garden each morning that she never fully appreciated the concept of heated floors until now. She would definitely miss waking up to these mornings once this job was over.

A singular ping by her bedstand indicated a message was waiting for her. She slumped back over the bed and smacked it lazily with her palm. Within moments, a light boyish voice sounded in the room, as if the intercom was situated in all nooks of the bedroom. If it was one thing she didn't exactly care about Esthar, it was the fact that you didn't have much privacy to be alone and almost anyone could contact you at any time and in any location.

"Hey Malita?" The male voice hesitated slightly, "Did I wake you?"

She shook her head; despite the fact she knew he couldn't see her reaction, "No Terrance. I've actually been up for a few minutes now." She tried to stifle the yawn that immediately followed with little success. It came out as a pitiful whine.

"Uh huh, I bet I was the second thing that made noise in your room. You just woke up." An undertone of mirth pervaded his words.

"Shut up!" Malita yelled.

After some chuckles Terrance continued with unusual seriousness, "I'm here to pick you up and head to our new job location. We are to meet there at 0730. Did you forget?"

Her eyes widened, she had totally forgot. She was out drinking with her friends the night before and didn't think to head into bed early last night. She smacked a hand to her forehead, "All right! I did." Groaning, she hopped off the bed and began switching into her outfit for the day. "Can you at least let me have some quick breakfast before I come down?"

"Of course. I'll meet you by the main elevator in ten. See you there." Terrance clicked off.

Outside of the small trickle of water from the portable décor fountain she had brought with her from Garden, silence descended upon the room. Her thoughts wandered to their new job location. They had just got orders only two days prior that their new rounds would be to guard and supervise a new, top secret operation that President Laguna was presiding over. Her heart skipped a few beats just thinking about it!

She opened up a side drawer from the mass of options lining the side wall and rummaged through the small packages of menus. She flicked one up between her fingers and read 'Spicy Omelet' on the side. That sounded good. She opened the small, spherical vessel on her computer desk and popped in the pill from the package. She closed it and depressed the round, blue button. Within seconds, the dinger buzzed and the side compartment door opened, ushering out a tray with the steaming food.

With cooked eggs and spices percolating the air with aromatic scents, Malita grabbed some silverware before walking over to the window and sitting down to enjoy her meal. She gazed out over the majestic blue spires and oddly shaped buildings that stretched off into the distance as far as the eye could see. Multitudes of highways and walkways wrapped themselves in convoluted pathways around each structure. Various hover cars and vehicles were making their way around the highways as the massive city slowly woke from its slumber.

What a majestic place. She had only just graduated SeeD training only a few months prior but this was her first official mission that she was contracted to do. She couldn't imagine a better place to start her future career as a SeeD mercenary than here in Esthar. Most of her classmates were quite jealous of her position and envied her luck in being assigned to it. Now that this new directive was handed down by President Laguna himself, she was quite giddy about today. Her hands shook slightly as she brought each bite to her lips at the prospect of her new role. Would she be prepared for it?

With breakfast finished, she opened the side compartment shaft by her bed and dumped the plate, silverware and remaining food down the chute. She marveled at how clean and immaculate everything was in Esthar. Why didn't the rest of the world live as they do? With a final straightening of her skirt and brush down of her auburn hair, she cycled the bay doors to her room and stepped out into the hall.

The corridor was as pristine as her bedroom and was lit on the sides by dim lighting that lined the floor and ceiling from one end to the other. At intervals were several potted plants to make the space more comely and hospitable to its SeeD residents. Indeed, there was a whole task force of SeeD assigned here under both President Laguna and Commander Squall's orders. Tense relations with Esthar and the rest of the world had started to ease in the past year and there was plenty of work for them to do.

She skipped down multiple staircases and turned around various bends in the hallways before finally seeing Terrance, complete with tight fitting jeans and buttoned up plaid shirt, waiting patiently by the main atrium, a worried look on his face as usual. She hopped on over and gave a small wave. "Hey Terrance! You excited about tonight?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he straightened his glasses. She knew he was nervous but he tried his best to hide it. Without warning, she grabbed a handful of his jet black hair and ruffled it fervently. "Hey! Stop that!" He fumed as he waved her away.

"Don't be so glum! It's going to be all right!" She pointed towards the open doors of the elevator that had just arrived to let off a few SeeD who had just finished their shifts at whatever missions they were tasked to. "Let's get on."

They filed into the arching doorway and pressed the button for the ground lobby. The door shuttled into place before the elevator rumbled and began lowering itself down the multitude of floors. The view outside was unimpeded by the glass tubing surrounding the moving structure and Malita was actively leaning over the railing to get a better view of the Presidential building just beyond their view, blocked only by the corner of their hotel.

Matila, still craning to get a look of that impressive, mushroom topped structure, offhandedly queried, "So you looking forward to our new mission?"

Terrance shrugged again, "As long as we get paid."

She scowled at him, "Don't be like that. This is an order from President Laguna himself! It must be something important!"

He looked off into the distance, longing to be somewhere else, "I try not to think about it. As long as it is within regulations and code, I have no qualms about performing any mission asked of me."

She turned to him before placing her fists on her hips, "You and rules! Sometimes we have to think outside the box to get the job done! That's what makes us SeeD and not normal militia of the country. We are given the freedom to make our own choices in how to accomplish our employer's goals, not take mindless orders!"

Terrance waved his hand at the scenic view, slowly rising to meet them, "Look around. We're in a foreign country with laws we haven't begun to read or understand yet." Malita had to agree with him, the codec book of laws for Esthar was practically a dictionary you could severely hurt your toes with! "I'd rather play it safe and fall within the established guidelines for any missions we undertake." He finished, pressing up on his glasses with his forefingers.

Malita huffed before returning back to the splendid view, "I highly doubt we'd get in all that much trouble. After all, Commander Squall is friends with President Laguna. I don't think they'd jail us."

He hid a smirk as he rebuked her, "You're talking as if you are planning to get into trouble!"

"Maybe I am?" She snarked back, flashing a wicked smile.

Terrance shook his head, "Remind me again why they paired me with you?"

Turning back to him, she tapped a finger to her chin, "Oh…how should I put it?" She took a couple steps towards him mockingly, "In your own words, SeeDs are paired together to help grow and learn from each other through their differences." He grimaced at her reminder, "Weren't those the exact words you stole from Colonel Quistis verbatim?"

A slight reduction in the hum and speed indicated they had reached their destination. Terrance gestured toward the doors as they slid open, "Nevermind that. We need to report in to our squad leader before we head out to our new coordinates."

They walked off the elevator before descending down a grand staircase, complete with extravagant chandelier above them that rotated colors every few seconds. Its undulating pattern of shifting crystal was mesmerizing. At the foyer doors, they noticed a messenger waiting for them at the revolving door. With a glance at Malita, Terrance walked up directly to the brown haired youth.

"Who are you expecting?" Terrance asked calmly.

"Are you Terrance Magrove and Malita Lemoine?" The boy said anxiously.

"Yes." Malita jumped in, "Is there something wrong?"

The messenger shook his head, "I don't know. I was just told you were to report immediately to the abandoned warehouse at the far eastern edge of Esthar. There is already a cab waiting for you outside."

"Odd." Terrance commented as he dismissed the youth. "I guess we won't be seeing the squad leader."

"You think something went sour and we have to fix it?" With a gasp and an excited twinkle in her eye, Malita pressed, "Maybe even see some combat?!"

He raised a palm to silence her passionate mood, "Hard to say. I wouldn't be so excited about going into combat."

She pouted as they headed out into the open air. For being such a culturally advanced civilization, Esthar was still situated in the blazing hot location of the great salt flats, so they had to endure sweltering heat during the summer months. Quickly jumping into the hover car, they shut the door swiftly behind them as they basked in the air conditioned vehicle. Without a word, the driver glanced back once to see his charges secured before driving off down the blue glass road.

Terrance buckled his seatbelt as he noticed Malita adjusting the sais at her belt. For a SeeD, the sai was just as unique a weapon as the gunblade. Not many cadets chose the weapon because of its difficulty. Unlike the gunblade where technical skill was required to use it properly, the sais required close quarter combat which could expose the user to unnecessary harm. So for any SeeD to graduate in such weapons had to be exceptionally skilled in them. He looked down at his pistol, tucked in its holster. He had claimed expert marksman and was deemed an excellent sharpshooter. Quite a pair they were with such vastly different skill sets.

They had just driven by some large, oblong structure towering over the highway, each one a power generator for that hub of the city. They were presently passing through the mall district, a section of Esthar that Malita was quite fond of. She stared longingly out the window as she saw the flashing neon lights of the stores pass by. She spied various groups of adults with their children and rowdy batches of teenagers walking and talking along the elevated walkways meandering around the outdoor shopping center. Each one oblivious to the outside world around them, concerned only with the immediate present.

Most of the trip passed in silence, it would take the better part of the hour just to reach the far eastern edge of Esthar. It truly was a massive city. Looking down at his armband, Terrance navigated through its menus via touch as he passed the time. He checked the Guardian Forces he was junctioned with and ensured he had enough para-magic assigned to his strengths.

A thought occurred to him, "Hey Malita." She gave a sound of interest but continued to look out the car window. "What GFs are you currently junctioned to?"

"Oh!" She had forgotten to check to ensure they were still set up properly. Captain Zell had designed a most amazing technological marvel in the form of the SeeD armband. It allowed all members to easily manage their Guardian Forces and any para-magic that they drew from monsters in the wild. It was a lot more complicated a mere six months ago before the invention.

The armband was a combined effort between SeeD and Odine laboratories that could tap into a person's inner spirit and manipulate the necessary magical elements of their being to better manage their combat abilities when junctioned with a Guardian Force. Although a dangerous method of war, Garden authorized their use for their SeeD graduates. No common country-based militia soldier could access and junction a Guardian Force themselves.

As far as anyone had learned, the Guardian Forces are beings of energy that have been around since time immemorial. They were recently discovered to be compatible with humans by order of junctioning, a special magic that combines the two entities' essences together thus boosting the bodily functions of both. It was only recently discovered that merely being junctioned, the entities themselves took residence in the brain of the junctioned host, sometimes eliminating precious memories in the process. Regardless of this deficiency, Commander Squall saw fit to continue their use.

After navigating a few menus, she answered back, "I have Ixion and Doomtrain."

Terrance cocked his head at the second name, "That's not a standard issue GF."

Malita giggled, "I know! Zell gave me that one a few months ago."

Puzzled at this, he probed further, "I thought you two had broken up?"

She raked a hand through her hair, a somewhat nervous tic that Terrance noticed whenever she was uneasy about something, "Not exactly. We were never really together." She furtively looked away from Terrance's intense gaze before continuing, "I guess we fancied each other for a time. He kept visiting me at the library during my internship there while we were training to be a SeeD. Once he graduated before me, he stopped coming. It was only recently that he bumped into me and said he had a cool new GF he wanted to try out but wanted to hand off an old one for it."

Terrance's countenanced softened, "I'm so sorry Malita. Is that why you dress like that now?" He gestured to her short, blue skirt and rather revealing top. "To impress him? You really don't have to do that."

He knew it was a mistake to point that out the moment she frowned and pulled hard on her skirt to cover up her exposed legs. "What business is it of yours how I dress? We aren't some country-locked military. We are SeeD. We can dress however we want in the field." She snorted involuntarily at the affront. "Besides, he's clamoring after that floozy, Xu." She let out a mocking laugh. "Just he wait! He doesn't even know the half of it!"

They rode the rest of the cab ride in silence as the tension grew thick within the vehicle. As an older SeeD graduate, at least one full year out in the field over Malita, he felt completely out of touch with the internal gossip within Garden. He couldn't blame her for being slighted at questioning her motives and dress, he was not part of her graduating class and they had only been assigned together for a few weeks now.

Presently, the car stopped just outside a rather dilapidated structure, its roof cracked and its overall integrity practically giving in on itself. It was of a different make and style compared to the rest of the Esthar building motifs. It was more square-like in nature similar to buildings found in Galbadia however enhanced with Esthar décor and construction. What was most odd was that the doorway was not automatic but rather required physical manipulation to open and close. What could possibly be their purpose in coming here?

No sooner had they stepped out of the car that they were assaulted by the previous crew. "Hello! Welcome! You must be the day shift? My name is Carl Sanders!" The enthusiastic SeeD proclaimed as he shook both their hands jovially.

Terrance nodded towards the run-down building, "What's our hand off? Any idea what we'll be doing here?"

Carl glanced over at his partner as he strolled up beside him before answering, "Not entirely sure myself but our orders were to secure the front entrance and ensure that nothing escapes that isn't escorted or carried by the extraction crew that went in."

"Escape?" Malita inquired. "What is that supposed to mean? Is there something dangerous in there?"

Carl shrugged and smiled, "I have no idea. Just orders, so we followed them. The night shift was pretty boring. A crew of highly armed, and I'd imagine, well trained Esthar soldiers went in about 2300 last night. We haven't heard a single peep from inside all shift. Hopefully for you two, it stays that way."

"Is there anything else we should know about the mission?" Terrance said gravely, he had an odd feeling about this.

"Not really." Carl said, scratching the back of his head, ruffling his red hair before dropping his hand. "Just stand by the door and guard it."

"Thank you, we can handle it from here." Terrance waved them off towards the cab as him and Malita took up their positions on either side of the door. They watched Carl and his partner get into the vehicle before it turn hovered around and sped off down the freeway towards the main hub of Esthar.

"Seems like we are really out in the boonies here." Malita commented. Terrance had to agree, the closest structure was at least a good mile off down the road and probably a half mile beyond that the actual city began. If he didn't know any better, they might as well be situated on the great salt flats themselves!

"Sure looks like it." He looked around to see if there was a better place to stand but noticed very little shade. The small awning over the door only provided so much from the blistering sun which was now starting to peak in the sky. "Here, you can stand where I am and I'll take up position where you are."

Malita glanced at him before realizing that he was offering her a more protected spot from the rays. "Oh, you don't have to."

"You're right, I don't. But I feel you should have the cooler spot." He smiled warmly.

They swapped before leaning up against the warm glass siding of the building, opaque enough that you couldn't see what was inside. They stood vigil in silence for a time before she broke the watch, "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have gotten cross with you. I'm just still hurt over what happened with Zell and me. I truly thought he liked me."

Terrance let himself slide down to the warm concrete beneath them, feeling somewhat satisfied at the touch of warm pavement beneath his rump. "It's okay. It is I who has to apologize. I shouldn't have pried. I was just trying to get to know my partner a bit better, that's all."

She grinned at him, "Is that all?"

"As the great Colonel Quistis said, SeeDs are paired together to help grow and learn from each other through their differences!" They both laughed at this.

"You're cute when you laugh like that!" Malita complimented.

"Like what? This?" He couldn't stop laughing.

"Yes! Reminds me a bit of how Nida laughs." She remarked.

"Oh? Do you like him too?" Terrance teased.

"Never!" Protested Malita. They chuckled for a good minute before their humor finally died down, with occasional spurts of giggles.

After a time Malita murmured, "It sure is different these days." After a small inquisitive grunt from Terrance she elaborated, "My first real battle was against my brother and sisters from Galbadia Garden as a cadet almost a year ago. Remember that?"

"Yeah." Terrance nodded, "During the war with the sorceress Edea...er…Ultimecia?"

"Ever since then, I haven't seen one lick of combat. It's been too peaceful." Taking his cue, she sat down on the ground as well, relishing in the warmth of the concrete.

"One thing I've learned being out in the field is that you should never look for combat. Wait for it to come to you. Too much heartache can come from looking for trouble." A rather somber tone entered his words as she searched his face with her eyes. After a moment, he noticed her look, "Don't worry about it. Just be happy the world is finally at peace. The Sorceress is no more and the only one that we know of in existence resides with us in Balamb Garden. She is on our side."

Malita shook her head to dispel her thoughts, "Yeah, I know. It's just weird though. For the longest time, Esthar was our enemy…no, the world's enemy and Galbadia was a tyrannical dictatorship that sought to overtake their own continent by force. With the peace treaty between Dollet and Galbadia and with Esthar finally coming out of its shell to help with the renovations across the world, it seems there is little need for us SeeDs."

Terrance scooted over next to her and placed an arm around her shoulders, "Hey…just because our primary purpose of defeating the Sorceress is accomplished doesn't mean there is no use left for SeeD in the world. There will always be governmental squabbles and borderland skirmishes that will require people with our unique skill sets to combat and solve. If we weren't wanted anywhere, money wouldn't still be flowing into Garden to maintain it and our training academy."

Malita beamed as she turned to Terrance, "You know, you act all anxious and nervous all the time yet you really are strong on the inside." She turned her eyes to the ground. "Unlike me. I'm an emotional mess that tries to hide behind a façade of cheeriness."

"Be that as it may, at least I feel like I'm getting to understand my partner more." They both smiled at each other.

For some strange reason, Malita felt flushed and could almost imagine Terrance watching her cheeks go red. She wanted to look away from his green eyes but couldn't bring herself to do so. Why won't he look away first? Not knowing why she did so, she began to move in, her lips wanting to just brush his, if only for curiosity's sake.

A small buzzing sound attracted Terrance's attention. He raised a hand up for her to be quiet as she went to ask him what was wrong. "I don't know." He twisted around and put an ear to the door. "It's coming from inside and getting louder."

"Should we go in and find out what it is?" Malita asked.

He shook his head ardently. "No. Our orders were to stay outside and prevent anything from escaping, not go inside and view potential state secrets of Esthar."

She set her lips in a line of determination as she got up from the ground and readied her sais. In turn, Terrance helped her step back from the door as he loaded his pistol with several different types of rounds, able to be selected at will based on the situation and target. They stood ready in complete silence as the buzzing grew louder beyond the door. Sweat trickled down their brows as they waited for some monstrosity to come bursting through the door. She truly had to wonder why anyone would think a desert like this was a good place for a city such as Esthar.

The entire ground rocked beneath their feet as they were blown back by the explosion that blasted the roof sky high. Shards of debris and glass splintered everywhere as a second explosion pummeled their bodies before they even hit the ground from the first. Aching and bruised, Malita struggled up on one arm to get a good look at the demolished ruin, to see what could have caused such devastation.

Several engines revved up beyond the haze of smoke. Terrance coughed as he inhaled some of the swirling dust in the air as he sat up and faced the roaring sound. Five motorcycles suddenly surged up over their heads and landed on the highway behind them, each bearing a single rider dressed in a red jumpsuit with white lining down the sides. At the moment of impact, each cycle blazed a trail down the road towards Esthar. Galvanized into action, Terrance flipped up onto his feet and practically dragged Malita up onto hers.

"Shouldn't we Cure ourselves first?" Malita grimaced; a slight sprain had developed in her right ankle from the fall.

"No time! Five unidentified persons just escaped from our charge. We can go back for survivors later but our mission is to prevent them from getting any further into Esthar!" He quickly navigated through the menus on his armband as he selected the magic of choice. "Utilize Haste, we need to catch up with them!"

With the aid of their junctioned magic, they were speeding down the highway on foot. Malita sighed inwardly, this was going to tear up her shoes for sure. She would have to go to the mall later and buy new ones after this. Within minutes, they could see the trailing motorcycles ahead of them. They were staying in a tight knit formation, so much the better to take them all out together.

In full motion, Terrance took aim at the nearest cycle, swapped his ammo and fired. The bullet hit the rear wheel and exploded, careening the motorcycle in a spiral, knocking the occupant off. Startlingly, the man landed perfectly on both feet, utilizing a rather strange metallic left arm to steady himself on the ground. At a signal from the lead cycle, one of the other four broke off and spun around towards them.

Malita was ready for him, at a swipe on her armband she thrust out several flaming blasts of Fire intending to lead her target as it rushed closer. Seeing her tactic, Terrance joined in and fired several bullets that burst into multiple caltrops that diffused across the road. At the sight, the driver swerved hard to avoid running over the spiked traps before tipping the cycle over and rolling several times across the glassy pavement.

"We got some live ones here Loramel!" The bigger man with the silver arm leered at them. She had never seen such an appendage.

"Delightful!" A rather feminine voice cajoled from beneath the helmet of the other person, just now pulling themselves up from the ground. "I wonder how their magical auras will taste? Will you please kill the male first Renard? I do love me some testosterone in my system!"

With blinding speed, Renard lunged forward towards Terrance, his metal arm outstretched to strangle him. Still under Haste, Terrance just barely dodged the swift attack. He had never seen anyone move that fast. As they passed each other, he fired off some armor piercing bullets. They merely rebounded off the man's arm. What type of metal was that made of anyway?

Malita turned her attention to the woman, now divested of her helmet, chestnut hair blowing in the breeze. A rather wicked scar from her chin through the nose cracked her lips as she smirked, "You have sais my dear? How poor for you!" She unhooked a whip from her belt and unfurled it with a crack. "I dare say you are at a disadvantage here."

With a spin, she lashed the leather out at Malita. She ducked low before firing back a blast of Lightning from her fingertips. Loramel laughed as she pirouetted to the side and struck back again. The whip latched on to a sai before jerking it out of Malita's grasp. Seeing a golden opportunity, she dashed in with the other sai and struck out at the woman's midriff. Loramel cuffed her across the head before hopping back, pulling Malita's leg out from under her with the whip.

Her chin smacked the ground hard, causing her to bite deep into her tongue. Malita cried out in pain as blood pooled out of her mouth at the deep gash. She shrieked further as the woman clicked a button on the side of her whip and flames instantly erupted along the length of the leather. Malita writhed in pain as the flames bit through her socks and into the flesh of her ankle. A deep throaty laugh emanated above her.

"Sthop laufing bith!" Malita shouted with a heavy lisp, striking out with several blasts of Ice to the face. Loramel screamed in fury as she fought to ward off the effects of the spell, rushing to avoid having her face freeze solid. With the opening revealed, Malita kicked off the burning whip and scrambled over towards the remaining motorcycle that was still functional. "Terranth! We hath to go!" She screamed.

"No!" Terrance shook his head violently as he cast another Haste upon himself. He swerved to the side as Renard nearly drop kicked him to the ground. Terrance looked ragged and was breathing heavily from the battle. "You need to head back to HQ and tell them to Scan for five traces of Triple. It's the magic they are using right now to amplify their abilities! I got this! Valifor, come!"

Plumes of energy erupted from the ground around Terrance as flashes of light dazzled around him. He was summoning a Guardian Force to assist in battling Renard. A swooping of wings was heard overhead as the sun was blotted for an instant. A majestic bird of yellows, whites and tans descended down from above, hovering protectively over him. Terrance reveled in the cool breeze from its flapping wings. Valifor's crooked beak opened menacingly as it cawed ferociously at its opponent. Much to Terrance's dismay, Renard stopped his forward momentum and stood up tall, completely unafraid of the imposing Guardian Force.

Renard grinned sardonically, "It's about damn time!"

With a swing of his arm and a clenching of his silver fist, Valifor let out a blood-curdling shriek. It contorted and twisted as if being stricken from all sides by an invisible enemy. Malita couldn't believe her eyes as the Guardian Force caved sickeningly into itself until it was nothing more than a speck and then a puff of smoke. It was then she realized that she had no idea what she just witnessed. What happened?

"Terranth?" She prodded nervously, saddling herself securely into the motorcycle. "Whath going on?"

Terrance looked completely bewildered, a dazed look about him. He staggered back a few steps before turning to her, unrecognition in his eyes. "Who are you? What am I doing here?" His words shocked her to the core. She couldn't comprehend what just happened. Did he not remember her? What was going on?

Seeing the danger before him, she shouted his name too late. Renard catapulted himself into Terrance, his silver arm plowing its way through his chest. A heavy wheeze escaped Terrance before his pupils dilated and life left his eyes. With a heaving wrench, Renard ripped Terrance's entire spinal column out of his body, his skull forcibly exiting the cavity that was once his head; ribcage bones breaking and falling to pieces to the ground with the force of the motion. Blood gushed out of the remainder of his body as it slumped to the ground in an uneven heap.

With a guffaw, Renard tossed the skull attached spine towards Loramel who was just recovering from the magic onslaught Malita had inflicted upon her previously. She looked down upon the bloody offering before sweeping it up joyously. "You really do know how to bring a girl's spirits up don't you?" She thanked before licking the length of the spine with her tongue, sucking down the fresh blood from the bones. "Oh…his aura is delicious! Sweet, yet with a slight hint of tang!"

Renard grunted his merriment at her dining habits before rounding on Malita. She screamed with every fiber of her being at the sight of her dead partner. Panic settled into her brain as nausea assailed her stomach. She kicked the motorcycle into gear and blazed down the highway. Her heart thumped dangerously loud in her chest, images of Terrance's death still replaying in her mind. What had just happened? Did he summon a GF? Which one was it? She couldn't remember anymore!

After several minutes of dementia, she began to calm down and think rationally. What was the last thing he said to do? Yes…he wanted SeeD HQ to Scan for Triple usage. She pressed a button on her earbud attachment, it extended out in a holographic display before her right eye. She Scanned for any instances of Triple and carefully observed the graphics as it revealed the trail of the other three motorcycles. With a clear path ahead, she followed the trail back into Esthar.

She caught up with them just as they were entering the mall district, they were slowing down. It appeared they were unsure of which way to go next. With the element of surprise on her side, she readied a rather nasty spell of Fire. Aiming her cycle at the lankier rider of the bunch, she back flipped off the seat before catching her fall with Float. The cycle rammed the rider square on, pitching them forward off the side of the freeway to the lower levels below.

In an instant, Malita was running towards them casting several blasts of Fire at their heads, her remaining Sai firmly in hand. The two remaining riders spun around in their seats and aimed two guns at her before blasting her fully in the chest. She flew backwards from the impact before landing on her back with a crack. Both men slowly stepped off their cycles and began making their way towards her with cold, calculated steps.

Crying out in pain, she rolled over onto her hands and knees, trying in vain to use the last remaining draws of Cure on her body knowing full well she will have lost some of her combat prowess in the process. She didn't care. They killed Terrance! She needed to be fit to fight. Feeling sufficiently better, she got up to a knee before throwing a sai at her assailants.

Her aim was true and it lodged itself tight into the right arm of the shorter man. She gaped as he looked down with what looked like apathy at the wound she had caused him. It was then she realized that both his arms were robotic. Her eyes disbelieving, he sighed heavily before removing the sai and discarding it like trash before transforming the same arm into a rifle. One shot pierced through her abdomen as blood flowed from the wound.

Thrusting the tip of his gunblade into the glass road, the taller man with brunette hair leaned heavily onto its base as he sneered at her. "Oh, you SeeD. Thinking you are better than anyone else based on the power that you wield."

"Shuth up!" Malita roared, lashing out with a deadly spell of Meteor. She didn't care if it struck her as well. She wanted them all to die. She did not notice the slight haze of smoke that had materialized around them.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even get the magic out of her spirit. Her arm was halted in midair. She couldn't even move it. A slimy cackle emerged from her right as a lanky figure climbed over the edge of the road and scrabbled his way to her. "You are most troublesome!" Malita tried to shy away from the frightening man. She couldn't even see his face. It was hidden behind a gas mask with tinted viewports. A husky breathing could be heard from the air filters on the sides.

She cried out in shock as the masked man pulled out a pair of oddly shaped nun chucks and began deliberately moving them around in a peculiar way. Her entire body began to move of its own accord, her mind screeched at her limbs to obey her but they weren't listening. The smoke was getting thicker as she began to slowly crawl for her sai that the gun-armed man had tossed aside. The man leaning on the gunblade chuckled a bit but did nothing to interfere.

Picking her sai up, she was forced around to behold the lanky man. He looked up at their leader resting on the gunblade, "Can I lobotomize her Malthius?" Obvious glee in his voice.

Malthius considered a moment before turning to his silver haired companion beside him, who was slowly reloading several bullet types into his arms. "I should think not Theros. What do you think Fefnir?"

Fefnir shrugged and continued to load the bullets. "I care not."

Malthius turned to the trembling Malita, "It's too quick a death for a SeeD. They need pomp and circumstance about their deaths!"

Theros nodded as he began to bring one of the nun chucks to his stomach. Malita gasped as she thrust her own sai into her stomach, feeling it twist around before wrenching out her smaller intestine. Against her will, she gripped the bloody cord and held it out for Theros to grab with his nun chuck before he began twirling it around with pleasure. The hold on her body was released but she could do nothing but collapse to the ground and shiver violently with shock at her intestines slowly being pulled out of her body. Theros cackled maniacally with her every whimper.

"Here, child of Hyne." Malthius knelt down beside her and placed a soothing spell of Protect over her body to help dull the pain. "We need you to enjoy your death."

With some rational sense returned due to the magic, she fearfully looked up at him, "Hyne…? I'm…no…thild of Hyne…" She gasped in-between jerks of her innards.

"Oh?" Malthius said in mock surprise. "Then I guess you using the very magic he gave Sorceresses means nothing then? You are sorely misinformed about your role in this life my dear child."

"I…don'th…understhand…" Her tongue lisping harshly; Cure still unable to fully patch it up.

"Nor would I expect you to." Malthius's grin was vile. "You SeeD claim to usher in a new era of peace without the sorceress yet you use the very magic that you strive to stamp out. What hypocrisy is that? You take the very power of Hyne himself and dare to call yourselves our betters!" He smacked her hard across the face. She barely felt it, her mind still reeling from the terse pulling from Theros, continually reminding her that her very life was being torn out inch by excruciating inch. "I will expose you for the charlatans you are!" Malthius finished.

"I cannot access her magic Malthius." Fefnir commented, pointing a barrel at the band on her left arm.

Malthius leaned over her body and tore off the band from her forearm. The menus and projections went dead as soon as it left her skin. He examined it and turned it this way and that. "How fascinating. It looks like Dr. Odine has created something we cannot get into…just yet." He flipped it tight in a roll before stuffing it into the pocket of his leggings. "I must thank you for this valuable bit of technology. We shall use it well!"

He stood up and walked back over to his gunblade and jerked it up from the glass. He cocked his head as he heard the running footsteps of Loramel and Renard rumbling towards them. They stopped short of the scene as they saluted their leader. "The other SeeD is killed Malthius!" Renard reported with gusto.

"And he was delicious!" Loramel chimed in, still licking her lips, her chin and throat now stained in dried blood.

Malthius frowned at her, "I really wish you didn't have that nasty appetite Loramel. You're not a vampire."

She raised a finger in protest, "But they do exist!" Her eyes bulged on the exposed bowels of Malita. "Can I at least have a lick of her?"

"No." He stated firmly, scrunching his nose. "I abhor your habit, it disgusts me. Do not do that in my presence." Malthius shook his head before turning to Renard, "Are the sleeper cells still intact?"

"Yes. I checked the database just before we blew the place. Everyone is in place and in stasis." He seemed rather pleased with this news.

Malthius bowed his head, "Good. Activate them all. We will need to establish our foothold early and fast. SeeD will know we exist soon. We need to strike first."

They all replied in the affirmative. He flicked his head towards the upper road as he heard a gasp and several sets of feet amble away quickly from the scene. Malthius scoffed, "Look at them run and ignore what they've seen. How arrogant they are in hoping that by simply avoiding trouble they feel like no harm can befall them. Do they not know it is their own culture that laid waste to ours? Their time of reckoning is at hand!"

He knelt down once more before Malita, placing the barrel portion of his gunblade across her chest, blade reaching out past her body. "My dear, I have but one last thing for you to do."

She could barely move anymore, she could only stare at him as the last threads of intestine were being wormed out. "I can'th…deliver a methage if…I…die." She rasped the final words out.

"Oh, you don't have to deliver the message directly. Your remains will be message enough." He placed a calm hand on her forehead as he leaned into her with the gunblade.

Malita shrilled when Theros pulled hard laughing goofily, tearing her stomach completely out of her as the vibrations of the gunblade reached their peak. The last thing she recalled was the face of Terrance as she felt her entire being explode.

* * *

 _ **Chapter Notes:**_ _Although the remainder of the story will follow Squall and his companions, I knew that I needed a good 'hook' to get readers invested early into this story. I felt introducing two brand new characters who had strong ties to the same SeeD mercenary force as Squall & co. as well as numerous references throughout the text of key names and places would intrigue readers to want to know more. The hardest part was actually figuring out how to translate game mechanics of combat into some sort of readable form without having it come off as dumb, so hopefully I succeeded there. With the deaths of these two characters, my goal was to rip out expectations from the reader and leave them wanting more and wondering just how Squall & co. are going to combat this new menace. Kudos to anyone who gets the reference of Malita's character from within the game itself!_


	2. Chapter 2 - Missing Persons

"You are adorable when you're sleeping." A melodic voice intoned.

Squall bolted upright in his bed, sweat still upon his brow. Rinoa leaped back a few paces from his side as he turned to look at her with menace. At once his expression softened, he did not mean to frighten her. He could barely remember what his dream was about but it was horrific. He placed a clammy palm against his forehead, wiping the slickness away with a disgusted look. The summer was rather hot and Garden's air conditioning was broke. Zell promised he'd fix it one of these days but he apparently hadn't gotten around to it yet.

"Bad dream again?" Rinoa inquired, sitting softly on his bed, inches away from his legs.

Squall groaned, "Do you even bother to knock or do you just let yourself in?"

She bonked his nose with her finger as she stuck a tongue out at him, "You still didn't answer my question silly."

He waved her hand off, "Whatever. It is not like it's a secret that we're together. However as commander of Garden, there is a reputation and image I have to upkeep to the students here." He admonished her.

She adored him when he got flustered, which happened often around her. Her smile faded slightly. They had been growing further apart as of late. Ever since he was assigned the permanent position of Garden commander, Squall was inundated with paperwork, mission assignments and overall administration of the academy. It was a miracle at all that he got any sleep during the week. He looked haggard and even his scar which ran beautifully down between his eyes and across his nose was a darker shade than usual.

"You know they honestly don't care, right? They are just happy that you are happy." She smirked, placing a hand on his leg.

Squall huffed, "The students might not but our employers and potential contracts might. What would they think if they found out the leader of Balamb Garden was freely consorting with a sorceress and having an illicit affair?"

Rinoa slapped a hand to her mouth in a futile effort to prevent her laughter from bursting forth, "Is that what they are calling it these days?" At a scowl from Squall, she continued, "Oh come on! Don't get so hung up on titles that you yourselves imposed! We should take a vacation and leave Garden and travel to Esthar to see Laguna. Wouldn't that be fun?" She grappled his arm and practically tried to drag him out from under the sheets.

"Hey!" He snatched his arm away, hastily trying to cover himself up. "If you last recall, it was only a month ago that several operations went missing in that area. Esthar isn't exactly a safe place for casual vacationing."

"Oh, like I haven't seen that before!" Rinoa chuckled, addressing the sheets, completely ignoring what Squall had said.

"I'm serious. I can't just up and abandon my post. We have too many recovery and renovation operations happening throughout the world. We are in close contact with Galbadia Garden in supervising reconstruction efforts for Trabia Garden. We should hear word from Trabia any day now. I can't just leave when all this is happening!" He sighed heavily, wishing he could make her see his position.

Brushing back her black hair with a flick of her head, Rinoa beamed at him, satisfied that she was finally getting him to talk. "This is the most I've gotten out of you all week Squall! You know what the best thing about being a leader is? They can delegate! How about you delegate your duties to 'Colonel' Quistis? After all, it seems you spend more time with her than me!"

Squall grimaced at the accusation, "Don't do that. You know our relationship is purely professional. I needed someone to assist me in the daily handling of Garden administration and financial upkeep. She was the most qualified person for the job."

Her expression soured, "So you don't trust me to take care of that for you? My father is a general you know! I do know a few things about this type of stuff."

"It's not the same thing." He exhaled, "You're not a SeeD. You don't have the training and-" His words were immediately silenced at the look she gave him.

"So I'm not one of you right? I'm just some trophy sorceress girlfriend that you happened to make fall for you only a year ago." She casually flashed an arm around the room to indicate the rather opulent headmaster room that he had taken residence in after Cid handed Garden over. "Now that you are successful running a multi-billion dollar mercenary force and the last evil sorceress out of the picture, all is well in the world right? Who needs a stifling girlfriend? Just so long as she stays out of the way and is only there to warm your bed when you need it, did I get it right?"

A bewildered look splayed across Squall's face as he saw the headlights of a freight train coming straight for him. Rinoa's disposition went from being playful and coy to downright vicious in a span of minutes. Reflecting back on the past several months, he knew he probably should have taken the time away to spend it with her. He could recall moments where she waited by the sidelines as he continued to settle Garden's business, only accompanying him to his room hours later. How long had she waited in silence for his attention? What happened to their love? It was so strong and undefeatable a year ago. Where had they gone wrong?

"That's…not what I meant." Squall stammered. Why did girls always have to twist words around? It was so frustrating!

An icy chill descended upon the room as the intercom buzzed by the door. "Squall?" It was Quistis. He shut his eyes tight as Rinoa glared at him before leaving the bed and walking over to the speaker. "Are you awake Squall?" Quistis was insistent this morning.

Rinoa coolly pressed the button, "Yeah, he's in here. Come on in."

"Rinoa!" Squall hissed, wrapping the covers up tighter around his body.

With a soft hum, the door slid open; standing there in full orange leather dress was Quistis Trepe, his right hand 'man' as it were. She had her dirty blonde hair done up in her usual cowlick ponytail, allowing her two prominent bangs to extend down past her cheeks to her shoulders. Resting on her arm was a clipboard with various documents and ledgers, in her other hand was a pin, already clicked open and ready to begin writing.

With a casual flick of the wrist, Rinoa utilized her power to rip the sheets right off Squall before throwing them before the feet of Quistis. She gave a smug look back at him before addressing Quistis, "She's all yours Squall. Hope you enjoy your new girlfriend!"

Rinoa stormed out of the room, ensuring the door shut behind her before stomping off down the tiled hallway. Squall and Quistis's eyes locked before she promptly turned around with a cough as he scrambled swiftly off the bed to go get some clothes on. "Ahem, she was quite saucy today wasn't she?" She commented, trying her best to remain blasé. "Did you two get in another fight again?"

"It doesn't matter!" He roared as he jammed his leg down one pants leg then the other. He rammed his fists through a white t-shirt before fluffing up his black jacket around his shoulders, petting down the white fur lining the collar.

Quistis tried to remain professional but there was some curiosity about seeing Squall in this capacity that she chanced a look in his direction. "Ah, I haven't seen you wear that in ages. Going back to the good old days?"

He glowered as he buckled up the last of his three belts around his waist. So what if he was attached to this outfit, it was one of the few things that helped define who he was back then. It was his personal style that he created himself to help stand out from the sea of mediocrity around him. Granted the situation is different now but it still didn't change the fact he felt comfortable in it, almost like a second skin.

"Whatever." He said, dismissing her comment. He wasn't in any mood for jokes today. Not even ten minutes into the morning and Rinoa had already tainted the entire day. "Just give me the day's reports."

With a clearing of her throat and a finger press up on the bridge of her glasses, she began while Squall sat back down on the end of the bed intently listening. "Contracts are down 3.5% from last week while mission completion has increased by 1.1%. We just got two new contracts last night. One for Esthar," Squall waggled his hand as if to disregard that contract, "…and another from Trabia Garden. Its…a rather odd one."

He signaled her, "Give it to me."

She flipped it over and handed the contract to him as he flipped through the two page document, his eyes intense as he scanned the words. At length he looked up at her, "That's odd. It doesn't have a point of contact or person of employ. Who are we working for and why?" He glanced back down at the paper, "It is also phrased oddly. Some of the sentences don't make any sense."

Quistis gave him a quizzical look, "Should I discount it?" She began to fold it as Squall handed it back to her.

He held a palm up, "No…not yet. Keep it for now. I'd like to show this to someone first. He is usually good at deciphering things. I think it might be a code."

Quistis nodded, "You mean Irvine? Very well sir. Shall we get going?" She opened the door up, sidestepping the bedraggled sheets and into the hall.

With an angry toss, Squall threw the sheets back onto his bed before securing his gunblade and stepping out alongside her. They walked in silence for a time along the walkway, Quistis very aware of his temperament and wisely choosing to remain quiet. She had worked with him long enough by now that she knew his inner anger had to calm before he was able to be social again. It was miraculous that Rinoa even got him to open up when they first met. Up to that point, he had just bottled up all his emotions inside, for fear of having to confide in someone that he might get attached to and then lose in battle. It was a vicious cycle for him.

With a ding, the central elevator doors opened and they walked in. He pressed the second floor button and waited patiently for the elevator to move. Balamb Garden was laid out around a circular interior atrium where a primary elevator accessed all floors. One could look out through the glass tubing while traversing floors and view the majestic architecture of the place.

The upper floor was the headmaster's quarters, now Squall's living space ever since Cid left Garden in his care. The mid-levels were dormitories and classrooms while the bottom floor was more of a casual break or resting area complete with benches and a peaceful water pool that circled the main elevator pillar. Multiple entrances let out from the bottom floor to the outdoor gardens where battle training was conducted as well as bridgeways that led to exterior building facilities that housed more dormitories, infirmary, cafeteria, library, parking garage and the monster training ground.

As Squall observed the mingling students below, Quistis pipped up, "Sir?"

He interrupted her calmly as he continued to stare out, "Please Quistis, you can call me Squall."

"Yes si-Squall." She corrected herself with a smile. He may be their commander but he was anything but formal despite his best attempts at being so and the entire faculty and students loved him for it. The only person who couldn't seem to see it was Rinoa. She felt it best not to get in-between them at this present juncture; they did enough damage as a team trying to smash them together as a couple last year. "I did some research on the missing operations you queried about earlier."

He turned his head to the side slightly, interest piqued. "Go on."

The doors opened to the dormitory midlevel, they stepped out, allowing several students on. One of the girls blushed and waved at Squall, he barely noticed her. His thoughts were so distant. Quistis followed up, "Aren't you going to wave back Squall?" She pointed at the expectant students, now bunched together inside the elevator.

"Huh?" He glanced back briefly before making a half-hearted wave. They all giggled before the doors closed and they traveled upwards toward their morning classes. "Why'd I have to do that again?"

Drawing her clipboard tight to her body as she placing her hand on her hip, she scolded him, "Squall, everyone looks up to you. You may not realize it but they desperately want your approval. The least you could do is show that you care."

He uttered a guttural cry of irritation as he looked up at the domed ceiling of the atrium, hoping Hyne would descend down from above and save him from having to explain everything. "Not you too Quistis. Rinoa was saying some quite similar."

"Which makes it doubly true." She said, amused. "Remember Squall, you're not alone in running this place. You have me, Irvine, Selphie, Xu, Nida and Zell. All the burden of Garden shouldn't just rest on your shoulders. If you recall, you personally elected us as your colonels, majors and captains the moment we established the new academy order and began rebuilding. Fall back on us. Rely on us if things get too much. Okay?" She began to extend a hand to place it upon his shoulder, hoping he'd warm up to her. Just what did Rinoa and him fight about this morning?

He shrugged it off as he continued toward Irvine's room, "Finish with the report Colonel Quistis."

"Hmm…well…" She resituated her glass before looking back down at the clipboard, knowing her moment of counsel was over the second he addressed her by the formal title. "Well, the first disappearances of SeeD originated in Esthar about a month ago. Three teams went missing with a fourth team found dead. Another team went missing in Fisherman's Horizon or FH. Two in Dollet and now one in Timber. From the looks of each occurrence, the ground zero point is in Esthar and this anomaly is slowly traveling west. It seems individually located because once it moved to FH and beyond there were no more reports of SeeD disappearing in Esthar."

Squall regarded the odd Trabia contract again, "And now this. Do you think this contract has anything to do with these missing teams?"

She shook her head despondently, "I don't know Squall. We received a telegram early this morning from Esthar detailing more about the missing teams. Zell was to be handling that but I haven't seen him today."

Presently they stood before Irvine's door. Squall rapped on the door lightly and stood back a pace to wait. After a minute he looked at the small door monitor, it did indeed show that the room was occupied. Irvine must still be sleeping! Didn't he know he should be getting ready to train the next batch of sharpshooters? He banged a bit harder on the door but there was still no response. He could hear a faint slapping sound but couldn't exactly make out what it could be.

With a shared look at Quistis, he plugged in his headmaster code and opened the door himself. He stalked down the small hallway towards the end where the bedroom door was wide open, a soft, dim glow filtering down onto the orange tile from the chamber. He would have to give Irvine a stern talking to. This was the fifth time in a span of two weeks he was going to be late to teach classes! He was seriously considering demoting and sacking him from the staff altogether.

He rounded the bend before stopping dead in his tracks as he beheld a rather unexpected sight. Lying with legs spread on his bed was Irvine, his hands caressing the smooth curves of Selphie's rump. She was ramming up and down passionately atop his member down to the balls, creating that faint smacking sound he had heard outside the dorm. Her upturned hair curls bouncing excitedly with each pound. Her moans were reaching a fever pitch as if she could explode at any moment.

His mind could barely comprehend the situation before sputtering out, "What in Hyne's name are you two doing?"

Selphie shrieked at the intrusion as she leaped off Irvine with a slick sound. She rolled herself up in his covers as Irvine lay unashamed on the bed, knowing full and well he was caught. "I was almost there Squall. Why'd you have to go and ruin the moment?" Irvine asked calmly.

Quistis peeked into the room before bursting into laughter, drawing intense color to Selphie's cheeks. "Oh my…"

Irvine grinned stupidly, his brown leather cowboy hat the only piece of clothing on him. "Colonel Trepe! See anything you like?" This drew an affronted smack from Selphie.

"Please Irvine, let's not pretend I want any of that." She couldn't stop tittering. "Are you at least using protection Selphie?"

Ignoring Squall, who still seemed to be finding his voice as his face was contorting into a vast array of conflicting emotions, Selphie turned to Quistis before blushing. "Yes, of course we are!"

"There's a good girl." She brought the clipboard back up to her breast before turning to Squall. "I see nothing wrong here. I suggest we allow Irvine to get dressed immediately and to allow Selphie the privacy of his bathroom before she heads out to work on the jets. What do you think?"

His voice crashed back into his throat, "Irvine! You are a teacher and supposedly a positive example for the students! Many of them are underage and well below your level of attraction! You should know better than present this as an acceptable form of behavior to them!"

"Oh come on chief…don't say that you haven't snuck off during school hours for some personal 'headmaster' time with Rinoa." Selphie jabbed, winking at Quistis as Squall's face went crimson.

"That was on the weekend and that is beside the point here!" Squall hollered.

"I could stand to hear some more about this." Irvine motioned Selphie to carry on.

"Shut it Irvine!" Squall commanded before grabbing the protesting Selphie by the arm and promptly ushering her into the bathroom before pitching her orange and tan jump suit in a heap on the floor. "Get dressed Selphie and report to the garage for mission briefing. Ensure one of the Humvees is ready to go."

Selphie's eyes went to Quistis, "So….no jet maintenance? Are we going somewhere?"

Quistis returned a lost look to her before mouthing, "I have no idea."

Ignoring the small side conversation as he shut the door, Squall flung Irvine's cowhide breeches at him, smacking his squarely in the face. "Get dressed! We have a lady present."

"Ouch! Geez, fine, fine, I'm getting dressed!" He began putting on the leggings as he appealed to Quistis, "What's gotten into him? Rinoa and him have another fight?"

"Stop talking about my relationships please." Squall pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. He needed to calm down before he lashed out at someone. He felt he was under a lot of strain lately and he couldn't exactly explain why he wasn't handling it well. It didn't seem like anything exactly taxing, so why was he feeling so much stress at being commander? Once Irvine was finished with his pants, he didn't wait for him to put on a shirt before handing him the Trabia contract.

"What's this?" Irvine asked as he perused the document.

"We think it is in code." Quistis clarified as she nodded to Selphie, now fully dressed and quietly sneaking past them in case she attract Squall's ire again. She turned around sticking her tongue out at the backside of Squall's head before quickly dashing out into the hallway.

"I can see that." Irvine noted immediately as his eyes darted from word grouping to grouping, one hand pushing his long, brown locks back behind his ears. "This does look like it's from Trabia Garden but the paragraphs are all mixed up. The first letter of each paragraph is the first half of the message; the last letter reading backwards is the second half."

"I don't even understand how you even saw that." Squall commented. Despite Irvine's perpetual lust for Selphie and women in general, he couldn't deny Irvine's talent as both a gifted sniper and cryptographic expert. After a period of calm he pressured, "So what does it say?"

Irvine looked up with a grave look on his face, "Nothing good. An unknown enemy faction had just attacked the local town of Trabia and it appears all the inhabitants there have been killed. They are enroute to the Garden as of this message."

Quistis gasped, "Those poor people. We just helped establish their town just this year!"

Squall's eyes bulged as he rounded on Quistis, "How long ago did we receive this message?"

She thought for a moment, "About two hours ago, why?"

"There might still be time to get there and stop whatever is happening. Irvine, as much as I'd hate to say this but meet Selphie in the garage and prep the vehicle for traveling. We'll pick up Zell from the cafeteria, since he's most likely there, and meet you."

"So great Commander Squall is finally venturing out into the sunlight? Heading back into the field!?" Irvine clapped his hands against his thighs as he stood up suddenly, "It's about time! I was wondering when I'd be able to see those awesome gunblade skills of yours again!"

Squall couldn't help but reveal a smirk before hiding it, "Whatever. Just suit up and meet us at the garage."

As they were leaving, Quistis stopped briefly at the bedchamber door, "Irvine, do be careful with Selphie. Don't toy with her heart. She loves you, you know that?"

A look of disquiet spread as he stopped in tying his long hair into a ponytail, "I know ma'am. I'm slightly hurt that you'd think I'd abuse her trust in me."

"I don't but I'm just reminding. That's all." With a lingering smile, she trailed out after Squall.

"I don't know why you keep indulging their behavior Quistis." Squall murmured as they got back on the elevator, him politely keeping the door open for her as she caught up to him.

"For the same reason we all try to encourage you and Rinoa." She chuckled.

He looked over at her peeved, "And why's that?"

"That's something for you to figure out!" As the doors opened on the ground floor, she dashed out into the atrium before Squall could get a word in. She began making a beeline toward the garage before swiveling around, "I've got a few things I'd like to see to first but I'll also meet you at the garage, ok?"

Closing shut his open mouth Squall bowed his head as he headed off in the direction of the cafeteria. Surely Zell was stuffing his face full of hot dogs again. Those things were unhealthy. He couldn't understand how Zell kept his fighting figure with the amount of hot dogs he stuffed away each meal. Either way, it was the best place he could think of to find him.

Squall raised a hand to shade his eyes as he stepped out into the midmorning sun. The heat of summer had just begun to pick up and it was going to be a rather sweltering day. There was a flurry of activity in the quad as groups of cadets walked to and fro, each one carrying decorations or some sort of craft for the upcoming event. Squall had only been partially interested in it but did little to investigate what it was about; something about the first annual sorceress elimination celebration. The general mood of the students could best be described as festive.

Many of the students smiled at him as he made a direct course for the cafeteria, some stopped and stared while others waved. How long had it been since he left the central facility? Had it really been so long that people were surprised he actually existed? He had to duck low at one point as two oblivious girls were holding some pole streamers between them, unaware he was about to get caught up in it. Despite the stress of the past few months, he felt somehow relieved to be outside among the budding SeeD cadets again. Some part of him missed the training and longed to be back out in the force, he had had enough of being cooped up inside his ivory tower. Maybe Rinoa and Quistis were right.

He strolled into the cafeteria, taking in the sights of the empty tables and several students slowly filing out after a well eaten breakfast. He furrowed his brow as the familiar visage and voice of Zell was nowhere to be found. A call from the food line and a waving hand beckoned him over. Xu was already waiting for her breakfast of oatmeal and fruit. He stepped in line beside her as they shared a smile, hers resulting in some rather large dimples.

Squall had to admit, Xu had blossomed since the previous year; she was just beginning to let her jet black hair down, having it almost touch the small of her back. Her eyes had that alluring slant that most of her kin from the Trabia continent sported. He noticed that she wore a modified form of the black SeeD outfit, complete with red tie and dual breasted silver mail adornments on either side.

Squall shook his head, "Still preferring to stick with tradition?"

"Of course." She stated matter-of-factly. "This is a job we are tasked to do. We should look the part…oh great leader."

He cocked an eyebrow at her as he grabbed a banana and placed it on his tray, "Is that sass I hear in your voice Major?"

"So formal now! I love it when you call me by my title!" Xu beamed.

"Yes, a title we so arbitrarily gave each other." Squall mused, recalling his conversation earlier with Rinoa.

"It doesn't matter." She said smoothly, "It aligns us better to what people are used to with their own country militias and helps provide rank structure to our academy. I think it works better this way and provides a strong base for customs and protocol. You did the right thing in implementing it."

Squall remained silent on the matter. He didn't really feel it warranted a response, not that he could think of one anyway. He just nodded his head as he waited for the food attendant to pour some scrambled hash into his bowl. He turned to her as they moved a few paces down the line. "Hey Xu, have you seen Zell recently? I've been looking for him."

A slight, imperceptible shiver went through Xu as she had to recall Zell from her memory. She didn't really want to think about him at the moment. With some hesitation she responded, "I honestly haven't seen him all morning. We don't actually see each other anymore." She let the topic hang.

Squall was a bit confused, "Were you seeing each other?" He was completely out of touch with his fellow SeeDs.

"Not exactly." The chill in her tone half reminded Squall of himself. Did he used to be so evasive like this? "If you'll excuse me." She nodded politely before heading off towards a table at the far end of the cafeteria where a lone girl was already there patiently waiting for her to join.

Sensing that he wasn't going to be having a breakfast buddy to talk to, not that he had time to enjoy a decent breakfast, Squall placed the tray back down on the line as he picked up the banana and walked out. As he opened it up to take a bite, he spied Nida coordinating the celebration efforts. They were hoisting up a rather raggedly looking life size doll that resembled alarmingly like Ultimecia, right down to the crazy horned, silver hair.

"Hey." Squall greeted as he took a rather generous bite.

Nida jerked involuntarily as Squall sidled up next to him. "Geez Squall! Do you even let people know you're beside them before talking?"

He shrugged as he ignored the question, motioning towards the doll now being strung up against a pole around a pile of sticks and kindling. "What's that? Looks…tasteful."

"I thought so too!" Nida agreed, completely missing the point of Squall's comment. With an excited rake of fingers through his brunette mane which he seriously needed a haircut for, he dove right into the main exhibit. "Rinoa thought it would be a great idea to help unify the student body by gathering around a bonfire as the finale for our first annual Sorceress Liberation day. She even made it herself!"

Squall tilted his head to the side as he scrutinized the rather off-putting doll. This did look like her handiwork. She tried so hard to make things. "This was her idea?"

Nida nodded his head vigorously, "Of course! She said the grubby look signified the hate and rage directed at Ultimecia by the world for what she had done to SeeDs over the millennia."

"I'll bet." Squall mumbled as he finished the last bite. After swallowing, "Hey, have you seen Zell this morning?"

Nida's face brightened, "As a matter of fact, I have! He had just received the telegram from Esthar." His countenance grew serious, "Oddly, he was in a state of distress when he left earlier, said he had to go do something at his mother's."

Squall thanked Nida before throwing the peel into the nearby receptacle. He jogged back into the central atrium, running almost a good half lap to reach the far side where the parking garage was. He sometimes lamented the fact they were restricted back to land and sea based travel as a military fighting force. He had petitioned for Balamb Garden to secure the rights to use the aero jet Ragnarok, a rather remarkable ship that could function even in outer space. President Laguna unfortunately vetoed the proposal stating that it was Esthar by origin and it should return to the country of its manufacture. Besides, all the technicians and spare parts to fix it up were local to Esthar. Squall didn't have the clout to argue with him. Instead, utilizing designs Zell had 'procured,' they were nearing the end of production of their own line of single seat piloted jets.

"Hey Squall! Yoo hoo! Over here!" Selphie's high pitched voice echoed through the garage floor.

Squall turned to see Selphie with a bomber's cap and goggles on, waving frantically at him from up through the gun turret hole. He grinned before waving back, drawing an animated response as she ducked back into the Humvee. The shotgun position was graciously saved for him. Irvine grabbed his hat off Squall's reserved seat as he situated himself behind the wheel. Quistis sat kitty corner behind Squall to the left of Selphie, who was gleefully sitting in the turret seat.

"I'm so excited!" Selphie blurted energetically, "We haven't gone out on a mission together like this in ages! This is going to be so rad!"

"Indeed it is, my little lady!" Irvine gushed as he pulled out of the parking space barely giving Squall enough time to buckle in.

Flouting the ostentatious love birds between them, Quistis got to the heart of the matter. "Was Zell anywhere in Garden?"

Squall shook his head. "He's in Balamb."

"Did he at least do his job and receive the daily telegrams?" Quistis stressed.

"Yes." After a pause, "That's why he left to go to Balamb."

Quistis sat back in thought as she digested the information. What could have caused Zell to just abandon the rest of his duties that day and just bolt off to Balamb? Sure, his mother was there and he had his adoptive family to visit but that didn't explain why he'd suddenly go AWOL when he had previously shown no propensity to do so. Well, he better have some damn good explanation for it then!

Within minutes, they were whipping across the countryside, all windows down and wind whistling through the compartment. Selphie was taking aim and skillfully sniping each of the Grendels and Anacondaurs they encountered alongside the road. Ever since the Lunar Cry occurred a year ago when Ultimecia meticulously planned the revival of Sorceress Adel by forcing her secure coffin orbiting in space back down onto Gaia via the cry, monsters were more of a threat than ever.

It has long been known that the moon was a breeding ground for innumerable monsters whose numbers would never end. Only last year during the second Sorceress War did the third Lunar Cry happen in recorded history. A singular conduit of monsters, traveling from the moon straight down to the planet surface, flooded the land and made many regions unstable and unsuitable for habitation. SeeD and local militia forces were constantly dispatched to defend rural villages and even eliminate major city incursions from these uncontrollable beasts.

The last Lunar Cry was masterminded by Ultimecia, instigated by the crystal pillar encased within a monstrosity of stone and machinery, the Lunatic Pandora. The pillar was excavated by the Estharians nearly a century ago and in recent developments had a mixture of metal and stone construct fashioned around it. It was originally researched by renowned Estharian scientist, Dr. Odine, under commands of Sorceress Adel at the time to be utilized as a weapon. It has since been decommissioned since its role in the previous year's Lunar Cry. It was now slowly being dismantled on the southern Centra continent by President Laguna's orders and in accordance with the freshly minted world peace treaty.

The rattling thundering of the chaingun was beginning to bore a hole into Squall's skull. He could feel a rather nasty headache coming on. Placing a hand on his forehead, he yelled back so he could be heard, "Can you please stop that Selphie?"

After a few moments of ignorance from Selphie, Quistis tapped her thigh lightly to gain her attention. Selphie popped her head back down, moving the goggles up into her hairline as she looked at her. "What?" She shouted.

Quistis gave a sign across the throat to desist in the firing while mouthing very elaborately, "Please stop firing."

"You want them to actually reach us? They already know we're here!" Selphie reasoned stridently, causing Squall to grit his teeth further.

Seeing no avenue of relief down that road of reasoning, Quistis cuffed Irvine's left shoulder, "Yes ma'am?" He called back.

She pointed toward a small wooded road that would lead them straight through to Balamb, anything to get them away from the plains and the roaming monsters. "Take that road please."

Irvine bowed in assent, turning a hard right into the treeline. Selphie shrugged her shoulders as she resumed her incessant firing, bloodying up several groupings of leopard like Toramas, their body length whiskers convulsing in their throes of death. "Woo hoo!" Selphie yelled much to Squall's chagrin.

Her firing blissfully stopped as they broke through into the trees. The whipping sounds of the wind lessened in the dense air of the forest, low enough that they could actually hear each other without raising their voice. Seeing to lighten the mood, Irvine lounged back with one hand on the wheel as he glanced over at Squall, "So Squall buddy, any relationship troubles I can assist you with? I heard you had quite a row with Rinoa this morning."

"You did, did you?" Squall seethed as he swung around to glare at Quistis, suddenly interested in looking out at the trees.

"Don't blame her Squall." Irvine said, attempting to waylay Squall's wrath from Quistis. "Selphie and I were both concerned for you after your actions this morning in my room. We figured you wouldn't normally be opposed to Selphie and me getting together, seeing as we are boyfriend and girlfriend already. We all know you take Rinoa to bed at times, so what's the big deal?"

"Really guys?" Squall scowled, suddenly wanting to be anywhere else than in this Humvee talking about his love life. "That's not the point Irvine. Let's just focus on finding Zell and get on with the mission."

Selphie plopped back into her gunner seat, strangely in tune with the entire conversation with uncanny hearing. "I bet you're going out on this mission to avoid her, aren't you?"

"No…that's not-" Squall faltered.

"It's okay Squall." Quistis comforted, "We're your friends, remember? You're stressed. We can all see that. We all agree that Cid dumping the responsibility of Garden onto you and heading off to be with Matron was rather unfair but you shouldn't take out your aggression on Rinoa."

"You just have to chill out and just go with the flow." Irvine interjected, causing both Quistis and Squall to stare, "You have to stop trying to run everything yourself and learn to let go and let others help." Selphie nodded sagely at his words.

"I have been!" Squall snapped.

Undaunted by his outburst, Quistis placed a palm on his shoulder, gently squeezing it, "Look, we are willing to stand behind you 100% Squall but even we can see that you are micro managing us day to day. If you would just let us take responsibility for our duties and trust that we will perform them and succeed, that will free up more time for you and Rinoa, maybe even help mend whatever rift you two got going on."

Even though he saw the truth in their words, his heart just didn't want to hear them. He was too frustrated and his headache was throbbing. "We're almost there." He muttered, facing back ahead down the road to the small port town of Balamb.

The conversation having died, they drove the rest of the way in silence. Gravel crunched beneath the Humvee wheels as they pulled down the road into town, flanked on both sides by whitewash adobe buildings adorned with stucco designs native to the region. They had just turned up the main road leading to Zell's mother's house when a body came hurtling out of the local bar into the street, causing Irvine to screech to a halt to avoid hitting the man.

"Whoa! What is going on here?" Selphie cried happily as she leapt up onto the seat and aimed her sights into the swinging bar doors.

"Really Selphie?" Squall chided as he stepped out of the vehicle. "Put that away." The gun bore sagged along with her expression.

He had just barely gotten to the entrance when a belligerent, blonde youth in a white, mangy trench coat barreled out, nearly knocking Squall over. "Watch it!" Said the arrogant voice.

"Seifer!" Squall exclaimed, almost as if blaming him for something.

"Oh, it's you." Seifer sniffed disdainfully as he strode past Squall.

"Did you do this?" He gestured towards the battered man moaning on the cobblestone.

"I should think not!" Seifer waved a hand toward the bar, "Your angry chicken-wuss did. Maybe you should interrogate him instead of accusing innocent men of assault."

"What are you doing here then?" Squall grilled intensely.

Although Seifer and Squall departed on amicable terms the last time they saw each other, it still didn't diminish the animosity between them. Throughout SeeD training, Seifer proclaimed Squall as his enduring rival and continued to promote himself as the best gunblade user in Garden. It was during one of these pointless squabbles that both Squall and Seifer gave each other opposing scars down the bridge of their noses.

Since his involvement with Edea, later to have been possessed by Ultimecia, as her knight and ultimately enemy of the free world, he was expelled from the academy and denied all rights and chances of becoming a SeeD. Not that it mattered to him much, the sentence could have been far worse. It was decided that he was not himself and he had been manipulated by the sorceress, it was the only plausible excuse that probably saved his life.

The last Squall had heard of him, he was roaming the world with his posse, Fujin and Raijin; two childhood friends that followed him wherever he went and were truly his only friends. They had little contact with him since. Now with him showing up out of the blue and in a potential dispute with one of their own, Squall was in no mood to get into a battle of wit and words with Seifer.

"Not like I really have to tell you." He calmly regarded Quistis, Irvine and Selphie getting out of the Humvee and slowly coming up to stand behind Squall. "But if you must know, I just recently secured a rather lucrative contract in Esthar that will pay more than whatever you're getting per job." He sneered.

"Mercenary work is SeeD's business." Quistis refuted, arms crossed, a vexed look on her face.

"Ah, but the employer wanted mercenaries who weren't affiliated with any major organization. A rather…covert op." With a gloating chortle, he spun on his heel and pompously strode off. A sudden thought came to him as he turned to leer at Squall, "You might want to put a leash on your dog in there. He might give SeeD a bad name." More laughter as he continued on down the street.

"Ugh! That Seifer." Selphie raged. "Just once I'd like to punch his lights out! You'd think that after we kicked his butt not once, but four times and expelled him from Garden that he'd mellow out!"

"I'd hold him for you while you do that if you'd like." Irvine offered.

"Seriously?" Quistis reprimanded. "Don't encourage her." Irvine raised his arms up clueless as to why he was being rebuked.

Squall flouted them all as he paced into the bar, his eyes taking in the view. Several tables were overturned as scores of bottles were strewn about the place; some broken, others intact. The barkeep was huddled behind the counter, his eyes imploring Squall to resolve the situation. Sitting astride a chair was Zell, his golden spiked hair somewhat wilted this morning as he hunched over a small package on the table wrapped in cloth.

"Zell? Just why in Hyne's name are you abandoning your post in Garden?" Squall started in.

Quistis put a cautionary hand to ward off his fury when she noted the defeated look in Zell's eyes as he turned further away from them. She knelt down to get onto his eye level, "What's going on? Are you okay Zell?"

With a hiccup, his glazed eyes wandered up to hers, "She dumped me Quistis. I poured out my heart to her and she dumped me!" It was clear he was drunk and in no condition to be spun up on the mission.

Trying her best to look empathetic she cajoled, "Who dumped you?"

With a sniffle, he angrily wiped some tears away with the butt of his palm. He hated looking so weak in front of the guys. "Xu. We were hitting it off great for the past few months. I thought we were going places, so I figured I would pop the question and ask her out officially. She turned me away this morning."

"You mean to tell me you ran here all because you got dumped by Xu?" A tone of rising anger in Squall's force drew a look of annoyance from Quistis. Irvine and Selphie prudently stayed out of it, he waltzed over to the barkeep and asked for two sodas for him and Selphie.

"No!" Zell shouted, his voice dropping after the flare-up. "I'm made of stronger stuff." After a moment of stillness and a hiccup, he added, "Although that didn't help."

"What brought you here then?" Quistis urged gently.

"A telegram from Esthar." Zell droned dully. He looked up into the searching eyes of Quistis, "Do you remember Malita? That girl from the library?" Quistis nodded, prompting him to continue. "She was one of my best friends. I might have liked her as something more if it weren't for Xu."

Squall had to resist the urge to tap his foot. Didn't Quistis know that time was of the essence here? The more time they spent babysitting Zell's emotional state, the less chance they had of getting to Trabia Garden and preventing a potential massacre. Irvine was keeping remarkably quiet with Selphie about the whole mission. If she found out it involved her home Garden of Trabia, she probably would have tried to slap sense back into Zell to get this situation resolved immediately.

Ignorant to Squall's internal diatribe, Zell continued to expunge his soul and thoughts onto Quistis, an almost cathartic look on his face as he did so. "She was always there for me when I needed someone to talk to or even to vent. Whenever Seifer did this or that, she would attentively listen while I railed away." He kept steamrolling, now that he was going, he couldn't slow down. "We stopped seeing each other after we graduated. I only saw her recently a few months ago and I gave her my Doomtrain GF. She was so excited. We got to talking like old times. It was a great day."

She smiled at the contented look on Zell's face before it darkened, "And then Seifer came along and insulted her memory as he made fun of me for crying over her. So I fought him and his buddy he was with." Quistis shared a look with Squall, probably the Esthar contact Seifer was talking about. The poor man was probably hobbling away by now.

"Not to eavesdrop, but her memory?" Selphie asked, sipping zealously on her soda, Irvine's arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Yeah. Quistis, do you remember you asked me to take inventory on all the GFs we have available in the database for the students?" After a nod from Quistis, he expounded, "I noticed that Ixion and Doomtrain had returned back into the database as 'unused.'"

"Unused?" Squall prodded. He wasn't exactly clear what that meant, inventorying GFs was not one of the things he was concerned with while running Garden.

Quistis stepped in for Zell, "It is when a SeeD removes the junction from a GF to rejunction a completely new GF in its place. The unused GF is then available for use again by anyone within Garden."

"At the time, I didn't really think much about it but then I heard the disappearances of several teams in Esthar and I got to realizing that I hadn't heard from her in a while." Squall was surprised Zell was this lucid while heavily imbibed but dared not stop him from explaining his rationale. "There could only be two reasons those GFs returned to our database. They either were dejunctioned in favor of two other GFs or…something happened to her."

"So what's with the bound up cloth?" Irvine pointed out.

Zell waved him off, insisting Squall to open up the bundle. "It's the package that came with the telegram. I can't bear to look at it anymore."

Squall tentatively walked over and began unfolding the blue fabric to reveal a single sai, caked with what was assumed to be Malita's blood.

* * *

 _ **Chapter Notes:** This chapter was incredibly hard to write. I now had to work with beloved and established characters from within the FF8 universe and get players and readers onboard with where I've taken these characters in the past year since the events of the game. This chapter would be the make or break chapter, if readers aren't savvy with the relationships I'm presenting here and where I've taken these characters, the rest of the story isn't going to work. So I planned this chapter out weeks in advance to ensure I had a good through line so that I hit every single major character through Squall's viewpoint and give enough information to the reader to make sense of what was happened both in Balamb Garden and across the world. Hopefully my characterization of each major person is on point! Seeing as all primary characters are 18 years of age and above and the stress of training to fight sorceresses or some imperial Galbadian dictatorship is no longer on the minds of SeeDs, I felt I should address the hormonal and emotional issues each of them are going through. They ARE teenagers after all and to ignore this part of their sexuality and what makes them human wouldn't be realistic. These are children soldiers in all honesty, born and raised in a military environment; these sorts of issues WOULD crop up in an academy like this. My hope is that this chapter brings 'back' your favorite characters and that the reader is eager to see what becomes of them as they ominously head for Trabia Garden._


	3. Chapter 3 - First Contact

"I think I'd like a baby." Rinoa's voice rang clear in the stillness of the night.

"Wazzat?" Squall mumbled, his eyes heavy, his mind on the precipice of sleep. Rinoa repeated her statement. The singular word woke him up faster the second time around. "A baby? That was fast." He smirked as he rolled over onto his side, pulling the covers further up his body.

She slapped his shoulder, "I'm being serious! I've been thinking about it a lot lately."

He groaned inwardly, once she got an idea in her head about something, she rarely let it go. Seeing no way out of the impending conversation, he flopped back over onto his back as he regarded her with half-lidded eyes. "It's the middle of the night Rinoa. Can't this wait until morning?"

She pouted at his dismissal, "No! I know you Squall. You'll wake and get caught up in your job the moment you set foot outside this bed. By the end of the day, it'll all be forgotten and you will be too tired to talk! We talk now." Her eyes dared him to refuse her.

"A baby?" He inclined his head towards her incredulously. The thought hadn't really crossed his mind since they've been a couple. It was just automatic whenever they went to bed together that they used protection, it wasn't even a question. "I don't think we're ready for that type of decision Rinoa."

"And why not?" She persisted.

Audibly sighing, Squall perched himself up on his arms as he looked over at her, lying beside him with a hand massaging his bare chest softly. "We just hit the age of attraction, we've barely been together a year, I've got the Garden to run and…"

"And…what's your point?" Rinoa questioned teasingly.

Squall raked a hand through his hair, "We're too young to be having a baby right now. We just don't have the time."

"You mean, you don't have the time." Rinoa specified firmly.

Squall winced at the assertion, "Seriously, how am I going to divide my time between managing Garden and taking care of you and the baby? It's not easy being commander."

She pushed off his chest with her palm as she sat up on the bed, facing away from him, her legs dangling off the side. "I never said it was Squall. Don't you get it though? You don't have to worry about me and the baby. I'll take care of it myself. Whenever you are done for the day, you can come back to us for the night. I don't mind."

"Take care of it all by yourself?" Squall asked, baffled that she thought she could handle this alon. Nobody can handle things alone. Didn't she teach him that? Why was she going back on her words now with this?

"Well at least I'll have someone to keep me company during the day." She whispered forlornly, gazing through the open arched doors leading out onto the veranda, the cool sea breeze wafting in, blowing the shear curtains inwards. The moon was still low on the horizon.

He cupped his face in his hands as he tried to wipe the sleep away from his eyes, "Look, Rinoa, I understand this means a lot to you and when the time comes, I'd be more than happy to make one with you." She turned back with a wistful look, "However, until everything settles down and things get back to the way they were, I don't think we're ready yet to bring a new life into this world.

She narrowed her eyes, "Argh, Squall! That's the point!" She picked up a pillow and smacked him with it. He raised an arm to ward off the blow as he glared at her. "It is never going to go back to the way things were! You of all people should know that! Do you not remember Ultimecia's words? She was being chased by SeeD across time and throughout the ages. Those SeeDs are our descendants! She was persecuted for a crime she didn't commit!" Her breathing came out in thick breaths, she was intensely emotional.

"What did you say?" Squall cued in on her last statement. "She committed horrible crimes. Killed SeeDs throughout history from her safe haven in the future; she almost killed me through Edea!" He jabbed a finger at her. "Don't proclaim that you understand her and take her side!"

The look on her face indicated she was backpedaling mentally, she had not meant to blurt that out. "I'm sorry Squall…I didn't mean to tell you that."

He blinked a few times as he was caught off guard. "Tell me what? Ultimecia's persecution? What's going on? I don't understand."

He had half expected her to retaliate back. Their fights were already legendary within Garden. Despite all their altercations happening behind closed doors, it naturally became common knowledge the following day. It infuriated Squall to no end. He knew this too would somehow become public knowledge. He had half a mind to believe Rinoa herself gossiped about their love life but he didn't think it was realistic that she would do so.

"Squall…" She said softly, gently pressing on his chest to lie back down beside her. She laid her head on his chest as she drew small circles with her finger by his abdomen. "I've…been having dreams. Strange, vivid dreams. Most of the time it's about her, Ultimecia."

He tensed as she mentioned her name. He asked fearfully, "Do you think she is trying to possess you again? I swear to Hyne I'll kill her this time. I'll make sure she never gets a chance to pass her powers to Edea!"

Rinoa shook her head forcefully against him, "No, it's nothing like that!" She paused, searching for the right words to convey her thoughts. "It is almost as if she's trying to communicate to me about something. She no longer wants to possess me or any other person from this period. That time has passed."

"How do you know?" Squall couldn't quite believe Ultimecia would just give up like that.

Just because Ultimecia began time compression and they were able to travel to the future to where she lived and defeat her, didn't mean she couldn't exist prior to her downfall. There must have been a period of time before she met Squall and the others where she was born and grew into the vindictive sorceress she became. They defeated her at one single point in time but what about all the other single moments in time where she could send her consciousness back to redo the war all over again? His head was beginning to hurt just trying to think about all the branching thoughts and ideas with time travel.

"I can just feel her heart in my dreams. I can see her pain and anguish as I experience the dream." Rinoa shut her eyes tight as if to recall the fleeting images dancing on the edges of her memory.

"Is she trying to show you another assault? Can she come back and attack us again?" An alarming urgency permeated his tone. These answers were critical for him to know. If there was a chance Ultimecia were to return and Rinoa was the conduit for her plans, SeeD needed to be ready to repel her.

She shook her head once more, "I don't believe so. She only had access to the Junction Machine Ellone only at that point in time, not before and not after our meeting with her. What's happened has happened. The only thing she can do now is affect history indirectly."

The things Rinoa was spouting were very disturbing to him. He was rather worried about the level of knowledge she had of their ultimate nemesis, the sorceress Ultimecia. Just when he thought the shadow of her influence was but a distant memory, her name kept cropping up through Rinoa. Why couldn't Ultimecia just stay dead? Were sorceresses that powerful to keep coming back from the grave and continue to harass the living?

As the time compressed world unraveled, Squall saw Ultimecia transfer her powers upon her death onto Edea Kramer, their Matron, at the orphanage where they were raised after the events of the first Sorceress War. A sorceress cannot fully die until their powers are passed onto the next sorceress, thus keeping the flow of magic from Hyne active throughout the ages. Now those powers and that of Sorceress Adel have transferred to Rinoa, the bearer of two uniquely different manifestations of magic. That made Rinoa the sole sorceress to be alive in this time period.

Unaware of his inner turmoil over the frightful things she was saying, Rinoa continued calmly, "I can sometimes see her running through the woods, crying and in pain. They've chased her for so long that fear is the only thing she knows."

"Who has been chasing her?" Squall knew the answer before he asked but he had to confirm it.

"Us…or rather all of you, SeeD. Searching and assailing every sorceress in a future far from now, in hopes of finding her; the one sorceress that would try to destroy time. I can't blame her for snapping and become that which we feared most." She began to cry, crystalline tears slowly traveled down her cheeks as she recalled the heartbreaking vision.

"And you want to bring a baby into the world, quite possibly knowing that it could be a distant ancestor to the one person who would become SeeD's enemy?" He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth. He shut his eyes in shame as he felt a perceptible shift in her body language.

With a distance in her voice, she stopped circling his navel with her thumb. "You're right. Why bring a child into a world, born of a sorceress, to be hated and mistrusted. You already saw what the Estharians wanted to do to me once they discovered I was a sorceress. They wanted to imprison me in a space coffin for all time! People do fear us as sorceresses."

"I don't." Squall comforted.

"It doesn't matter." She vehemently spun over onto her other side, eyes staring at the far wall, practically dragging the sheet along with her. "I don't feel like having a baby anymore." After one ragged gasp, "I truly am alone."

At a loss for words, Squall could do nothing but remain sitting beside her, listening to her soft weeping. His heart was in a whirlwind of emotions while his mind raced with ideas and thoughts. He should have seen the warning signs then that night but he was too wrapped up in the revelation of Ultimecia that he failed to see how he could help Rinoa. Just what exactly was Ultimecia trying to do from beyond the reaches of time? It was long after Rinoa had fallen asleep, her rhythmic breathing barely audible, that Squall, too, laid back down and slept.

* * *

"Hello? Gaia to Squall! Come in Squall!" Selphie's voice blared like a megaphone into his ears as she got in his face to bring him back into reality.

"Stop it." He commanded, causing her to giggle at her success as she skipped over back to her seat beside Irvine who promptly wrapped an arm around her shoulders to bring her in tight. Zell just grimaced at the gesture and refocused back on Quistis at the front of the boat compartment.

"Are you ready for the briefing Squall?" Quistis questioned indifferently, her eyes locked on his.

"I'm sorry." He apologized sincerely. He hadn't meant to daydream like that. This morning's altercation with Rinoa got him to thinking about all the instances in recent months that they had fights.

"Ahem." Quistis cleared her throat as she pushed up on the bridge of her glasses before manipulating the controls on the central dais within the vehicle. Within seconds, the blank monitor behind her sprung to life with a projected image of the Trabia continent. With a few more button presses, it zoomed in to the coastline to where they'd be making landfall. "About 0700 hours this morning, we received a telegram from Trabia in code. Thanks to Irvine here," she briefly motioned a hand towards him, Irvine tipped his hat to the others, she continued, "we now know it was a distress call for us to assist. The call was placed from Garden shortly after observances were made of a massacre happening in the nearby town of Trabia."

Massaging his temples firmly to alleviate the pounding from his hangover, Zell inquired, "Do we have any intel or some sort of video footage or pictures we can go off of to see who did this?"

Quistis shook her head, "I'm afraid not." She attempted to resume the briefing but Zell stood up to cut her off.

"So we have no idea what we're up against? And it is just us five who are going out to help Trabia Garden? If this is an emergency, why didn't we send several teams out here with us?" Zell stared at each of them in turn, his eyes finally resting on Squall, his rage rising with each passing word. "I'm willing to bet that whoever is doing this was behind Malita's death! We need to bring everything we have and take them down now!"

"I have no doubt that these two occurrences are related." Squall agreed seriously.

"How do you figure?" Irvine asked, leaning forward.

"I knew the moment I saw Malita's sai that we are being hunted. All of us. SeeD." He let the words sink in. Quistis was the only one of the group unfazed by his revelation. "By whom or what, I have no idea. Quistis pointed out this morning that the origin point is Esthar, so that would definitely be a lead worth investigating after we are done here. I do not believe the attack on Trabia Garden and the disappearances of the various SeeD teams are just coincidence. Too many things are happening at once to assume they are separate incidents."

Selphie gave an involuntary shiver, "SeeDs are being hunted down?" Her eyes widened, "My friends are in Trabia! Are they all going to be killed?" Her heart was pounding fast in fear for her friends and in anger at having to watch those close to her die once more.

It was only the previous year during the second Sorceress War initiated by Ultimecia that Galbadia launched a missile attack on Trabia Garden, destroying it utterly and killing many in the process. There were a few friends that survived but the rest had to begin the long slog of rebuilding what they had lost. As of yet, there was no actual Garden facility to speak of for Trabia but rather a collection of quickly made buildings that were in no way defensible by outside threats. If an attack was launched on the budding academy, it would fall swiftly.

"Which is why I'm wondering why you decided it was enough to send just us five alone." Zell indicted, pointing a finger of blame at Squall. It was clear the emotional events of the morning and the confirmation of Malita's death were taking its toll on Zell. He wanted a fight and he was looking everywhere to find it.

Squall understood Zell very well. He understood what love can do to cloud your judgement and enable you to do stupid, rash decisions. He fell prey to that last year when he foolhardily chased Rinoa after the Estharians took her into custody to place her in the space coffin. Thankfully he had his friends along with him to assist in getting her out but it could have very well ended in disaster. Zell was looking for someone to blame, an enemy to fight, a target to pummel. Unfortunately, he needed Zell to calm down and understand his position.

He leaned forward, propping his elbows onto his thighs as he rested his chin atop his hands, his eyes never leaving Zell. "We are a scouting team. We are to do nothing but recon, only to assist if necessary."

Zell blinked dubiously, "We…what?"

Quistis interjected assertively, "If you hadn't interrupted, I would have gotten to that part of the mission. As Squall said, we are nothing but an advance scout team to see how bad the damage actually is and if more reinforcements are needed."

Being devil's advocate and taking Zell's side, Irvine chimed in, "And what if they do need more help than we five can provide? It would be nearly half a day before the next team could get here from Balamb Garden. I don't believe we could hold out that long."

Quistis made a motion to respond but Squall saved her the trouble, "Quistis and I discussed this while you two were getting Zell into the Humvee and sobered up. We have agreed that SeeD is being hunted. If we go out to Trabia under that assumption, then this," He stood up briefly to grab the contract in front of Quistis before waving it in the air, "was sent as a diversion."

"I don't get it." Selphie looked to Irvine and Zell for clarification. "Why would my friends…I mean, why would Trabia try to trick us?"

Quistis grimly answered, "We don't think it was them."

Zell fell back down into his seat with a mumble, "You think they're all already dead."

Quistis affirmed his conclusion, "We have to expect the worst case scenario here."

Selphie gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. Irvine removed his arm around her as he inclined forward to the center, "That does make sense though, now that I think about it. If what Squall and Quistis is assuming is actually fact, then this distress contract is a ruse. Trabia Garden, being the weakest of the three SeeD academies right now would be the easiest target to remove first."

Squall snapped his fingers at Irvine's logic, "Exactly! Balamb would be second since Galbadia is the largest and well-staffed of the three. Having us send multitudes of SeeD teams to assist in defending Trabia might be what they want. Empty out Balamb Garden so that while we are gone, they can attack with our defenses low."

"Does anyone in Garden know about this plan?" Zell grilled, his anger still not abated.

"As a matter of fact, there is." Quistis said smugly, readjusting her glasses. "As we left, I made a radio call to Xu to prep defenses in case of a possible attack. She is currently reigning commander of Garden while Squall is away."

Zell scowled as he stared at the metal floor beneath his feet, "Of course she is…"

"Is there a problem?" Squall questioned.

"Tch, Fine. Whatever." Zell lounged back in his chair as he stared out the porthole at the rippling wake generated by their speeding attack boat.

"As I was about to say," Quistis pressed on, undaunted by the disruptions, "we will be making landfall shortly, just 5 miles south of the town of Trabia. The autopilot will kick off momentarily and we'll need you, Selphie, at the helm to guide her onto the beach."

"You got it Quistie!" Selphie thrust a fist into the air.

"Irvine, you will drive the recon vehicle once we unload at the shoreline. Squall will sit shotgun while I man the turret." Quistis noted the defeated look on Selphie's face. "I'd rather not have the enemy, should they be there, to know we are coming until we're already upon them."

"Oh all right…" She lamented.

"Zell, you'll be backing us all up to look for survivors and assist any wounded. Is everyone clear on their jobs?" She got nods or grunts of approval from the rest of the crew. Zell simply remained aloof, his eyes lingering outside.

"Zell!" Squall started.

"Fine! Fine!" He flapped his hand forcefully, trying to wave off their displeasure with him. "I'll help look for survivors."

Quistis sighed as she strode over to Squall, sidestepping quickly to the side as Selphie bounded past her to get into the driver seat of the boat. Irvine followed and sat alongside her, marveling at how awesome she was driving. Squall shared a look with Quistis before glancing over at Zell, completely absorbed in his own torrential thoughts. He shook his head briefly. It would do no good to try to coax him out of his funk. Zell was a person who needed to get it out of his system before he could calm down. He wasn't sure how long it would take this time. Zell wasn't one to be emotionally invested in girls.

They pulled up onto the sand within the hour and quickly shut off all the engines and power generators. Squall cranked open the wench that opened the tail end of the boat, causing it to slam into the sand with a flourish. With the honed skills from years of practice, the five of them piled into the brown camo recon vehicle and disembarked from the boat. With the muted rattling sound of treads hitting the turf, Irvine guided the tank-like van up the beach and towards the nearest roadway up the small bluff.

Despite their recent quarrel over Zell and his emotional state, all five of them slid back into their mercenary mentality. Each of them was shifting through the menus on their arm bands, making sure they had the proper magic applied to the necessary skills they felt they would need in combat. Each one verified that the Guardian Forces they wanted to Junction were active and ready to go. Irvine himself held his arm out to Selphie to navigate the menus for him while he drove and call out what she saw and make any changes he felt necessary.

They could see the smoke plumes long before they reached Trabia. They rolled up alongside the edge of the road, just several dozen meters away from the entrance to town. No need to get boxed in a corner this early in the mission. Quistis unhooked the whip from her belt but held it fast within her palm, not wishing to let the leather drag along the ground creating unwanted noise. Irvine turned the engine off and grabbed his rifle that he had placed between the two front seats, ammo already loaded in it from the boat ride over. Selphie unhooked the nun chucks from the back of her belt loops while Zell put on his black knuckle gloves before tightening the Velcro around his wrists.

Squall exited the van last, securing his gunblade into the sheath at his belt, ready to be drawn at a moment's notice. He surveyed the scene with knowledgeable eyes. The attack was at least seven hours past. The plumes of smoke looked thicker from a distance but were actually quite transparent now that they were within range. The smoldering fires were isolated to certain parts of town and a good multitude of structures were untouched. If there was a massacre, the enemy did not choose to destroy the buildings also.

With a silent hand motion, he led in first with the rest following in behind him. They reached the first line of houses as they sidled up next to the brick and mortar sidings, peeking around the corner towards the center streets of town. The exterior roads were still dirt and rocks, but further in the thoroughfares transformed to concrete. Trabia was a town established just this year to help house both the citizens and the workers who were rebuilding Trabia Garden, so parts of it were still in a state of construction. However it was now nothing more than a ghost town.

Splitting up sparingly, they worked from street to street as they made their way ever closer to the central plaza. There was to be an arch there symbolizing the unity of the three Gardens; it symbolized the hope of the Trabian people in rebuilding for a better future. Squall stopped dead in his tracks as he turned the corner to behold the macabre scene. There were bodies strewn throughout the square, some bloodied masses of flesh, others torn completely apart. His eyes wandered up to the imposing arch of marble, the centerpiece of Trabia, and found several SeeD members hanging from metal stakes through their heads.

Quistis edged up beside Squall, a gloved hand to her mouth, "Who could have done this?"

Zell's eyes bulged as he went from one corpse to another, checking for pulses or some signs of life. "Why are they all SeeD? Where are all the civilians?"

Selphie's eyes flashed with anger, a roar erupted from her as she rushed from one cadaver to another, hoping that somehow her friends had escaped this. Irvine tagged along, checking for any survivors. At length, he squatted down next to a rather rotund SeeD. "Something is wrong Squall."

Squall paced over, "What is it? Did you find something that could point us to the offenders?"

He shook his head as he looked around at a few other suspect bodies, "These aren't SeeD. I don't think any of them are."

Zell overheard and jogged over to Irvine, "Say what? You mean to tell me these are all civilians?"

He bowed his head, taking off his hat in mourning over the fallen, "That's exactly it. This man is way too fat to have been training as a SeeD." He pointed to a woman nearby. "She is way too old, well into her eighties."

At his observation, Selphie began noticing the oddities too. None of these corpses resembled anything like an effective SeeD fighting force. "Wait! Over here!" She leaped over a few bodies in front of her as she pointed at several more. "There are some civilians dressed casually and not in formal SeeD attire."

Quistis puzzled a bit over the entire situation, "Why would half of them dress up as training cadets?"

Squall skimmed back up to the bodies hanging from the arch, their skulls cracked and impaled through. "No ordinary humans could do this…at least not these townspeople." He sniffed the air and assessed the plaza, there was a faint haze lingering along the ground, huddling closely by the benches, chairs and planted trees. "There was magic at work here."

Selphie stood back up and retreated beside Irvine, "I don't like this."

Quistis agreed, "I feel the same way. Something doesn't seem right."

Zell looked all around him stunned, "Are there no survivors?"

"I don't believe so. At least, I feel we do not have the time to spend on looking for any. If this is indeed a trap, then our enemy would have left none alive." Squall commented darkly. He pointed northeast in the direction of the distant mountain range. Just at the foot of those peaks should be the newly built structures that were to be the temporary home of Trabia Garden's students. "We leave the van here. We travel on foot to avoid attracting attention."

All deferring to his decision, they left the gruesome scene and applied Haste to their bodies. Within minutes, they were speeding across the plains, dodging various monsters and tall grass that stood in their way. Although they wanted to avoid attracting unwanted eyes, they did not want to barrel through the high grass and unexpectedly encounter a monster lurking within. Ten minutes into the run, they were breathing hard and their breath came out as cold puffs of mist. The Trabian continent ran along the northern rim of ice, it was still summer in this part of the world but that did not diminish the cool breezes buffeting their faces as they sprinted.

Irvine's sharp eyes spotted danger ahead, "A Behemoth!" He shouted into the wind.

Squall noticed the threat and gestured toward the trees off to the north; it would be best they cut through there to avoid the immediate hunting grounds of the giant creature. It was currently feasting on a rubbery winged Buel it had snatched from the sky, its massive horns ripping off a wing and tossing it aside. The monster was as big as a house. They did not want to engage it at this present time.

They bobbed and weaved, sifting through the trees, keeping an ever watchful eye on the lumbering, purple giant to the south of them. Squall leapt over a fallen log, grimacing slightly as he touched the slick moss atop it. They were back out into the open air, their objective was in sight. He was surprised to see how expansive it actually was. When he heard it was temporary housing for Garden while a new one was being built in Esthar, he half expected only a cluster of buildings. It was a rather impressive triangular, domed structure with several offshoot facilities, much like how a real Garden would be laid out.

With a sign from Squall, they each dispelled their Haste as they slowed down to a walk. They were still several hundred meters out from the primary entrance but they needed to inspect the situation before moving in further. They crouched low as they gathered around Squall to brainstorm what they should do next.

Selphie jumped in first, whispering harshly, "I really wish Cure would work on shoes! My feet are burning!"

"Want me to massage your feet for you?" Irvine offered, immediately going in for the kill.

"Quiet! Both of you." Squall commanded, they each stopped and turned to him for direction. "This whole mission reeks of something, we can all see that. When we go in, we must assume we are entering hostile territory, so be on your guard!" He pointed a finger at Quistis, "You come with me to the headmaster's room and see if we can garner any information from the logs there." He swiveled to Selphie, Irvine and Zell. "You three investigate the dorms, the quad, the infirmary…anywhere where you think people might still be hiding out and defending. Assist if necessary. We will meet back up out here at the top of the hour. Go!"

At his order, they bomb-bursted silently, each group entering the primary gates and branching off on their respective objectives; it appeared Selphie and the others were heading to the infirmary first, a very good choice to investigate initially. Assured that all was in order, Squall hunkered down before dashing past the line of hedges that circled the main structure. They hopped over several rows of benches before slamming their backs up against the central building.

Squall peeked inside the vaulted entryway, its basing extending out toward the steps leading down to the surrounding piazza. Squall had to marvel at how close the builders tried to replicate the feeling of home for the students of Trabia. It was no Garden but it would have certainly done the job until Esthar completed the actual structure.

There was no fancy tiling on the floor as they entered, gunblade drawn and whip extended, tail end gripped firmly in Quistis's other hand. Inside, Squall was disappointed that there was no grand foyer complete with tranquil pool of water or a plethora of ceiling lighting complete with arched, domed ceilings. It was all rather flat and angular with a few curves to give off the illusion of Estharian design. Every room was molded of cold concrete and plaster. The exterior belied the actual condition of the interior. They trained SeeDs here in Trabia like this?

Several mundane passages with caged, hanging lights split off from the primary room. Several hallways were flickering as if the lighting were either faulty or busted. Various papers were strewn across the floor as well as multitudes of blood smears leading off in various directions. No evidence of bodies though, not even pieces of them. Quistis walked up behind the front desk which she assumed to be the information booth. The wheeled chair had been knocked over, several of its wheels missing.

She picked up a few sheaves of paper, filtering through with her fingers. "How sad." She murmured. "They were also preparing for a Sorceress Liberation day like we were. I wouldn't be surprised if Rinoa took it upon herself to coordinate between the Gardens for a multi-coalition event."

Squall peered over her shoulder, perusing the plans and budget set aside for the elaborate décor and purchases. "Was it really going to be this big of an event?"

She indicated silently that she didn't know, "I didn't concern myself with the recreational activities of the Garden, only that they fell within the constrained funds allocated to such endeavors. I allowed Nida to head that department."

He gazed off down the hallway leading to what he thought were elevators in the murky distance. "How is Nida doing these days? I barely got to talk to him this morning."

Quistis smirked, "He's an odd one. He seems to identify more with his fellow cadets he should be teaching rather than as a member of the Garden staff. He's a hard worker but it seems students don't respect him as much as an authoritative figure." She set the papers back down where she found them. "It is a shame really; he is really good at projectile weapons. He could probably teach a few of us a thing or two about them."

Squall dipped his head indicating comprehension, "I'll have a talk with him when I get back. Maybe…counsel him on what it means to be a leader."

"You? Counsel?" Quistis grinned, "Maybe I should come with you to make sure Nida doesn't get hurt!"

"Stop it." Squall warned, trying his best to hide the smile. "You should focus more on getting your fan club under control. They practically started a riot in the quad the other day about some dispute over your character." He waved his fingers in beckoning as he started off down the hall towards the glowing lights at the far end.

She kept pace with him as he walked, "I don't have anything to do with the Trepe club! They started that all on their own. I had no part in it!"

He regarded her from the corner of his eye, "You sure as well took control over it though! Do you like having underage boys fawning all over you like love sick puppies?"

She bristled at the accusation, "That was not my intention in keeping the Trepe club alive. It was a group to bring students together in good mannered competition and rivalry with card games."

"Ugh, I hate that game, don't remind me." He stabbed a finger out to press the call button on the elevator.

She leaned up against the wall beside the closed doors and crossed her arms smugly, "Just because I keep beating you doesn't mean the game itself is terrible. Just admit you're no good at it."

Ignoring her challenge, he pressed the button before looking up at the displayed floor number. They heard a shuttering clang and then silence. He exhaled loudly before turning to her, "Shall we find some stairs?"

* * *

Zell kept several paces behind the two lovebirds, each vigilant and alert but still strolling side by side holding hands. They had walked across the open quad cautious and wary but after several minutes of nothing but bird song in the trees, their general level of anxiety relaxed as they inspected the place. The infirmary seemed to be in fairly good repair, there were a few gaping holes through the cement corner of the building to the left of the primary entrance however. Besides that telltale sign of struggle, there wasn't much else to indicate that the enemy might be hiding within.

"Do you think a sorceress could have done this?" Selphie asked apprehensively, her eyes lingering on the fresh smears of blood along the floors and handprints along the walls. Someone had tried to escape through here and was badly injured.

Irvine shook his head, "No way. This is too messy. Sorceresses are far more precise and clean about their killings. Magic has a way of cleaning the evidence up after you. I think someone tried to make a statement here."

Overhearing the exchange, Zell sped up his pace to walk alongside the two. "I don't believe that at all! You remember the dead SeeDs at the foot of Ultimecia's castle? We saw them as we entered. They were not clean and they were not swift deaths. This could be an unknown sorceress out there hunting us down from the shadows!"

Selphie let out a little yip as she hopped over a rather large puddle of fresh blood, almost stepping in it due to her avid interest with the conversation. Irvine frowned as he knelt to get a better look. He thought he saw bits of broken bone floating in the liquid. "Looks like the person made it this far before whatever it was caught up to him."

"I'm freaking out here!" Selphie susurrated, her voice rising in pitch, "It's one thing to be fighting monsters and enemies we can see, it is quite another when we don't know what we're up against!"

Zell punched a fist into his other palm for emphasis, "Nothing we can't handle! Come on! We defeated one of the worst sorceresses in history! How much worse can this be?" His grin turned downright menacing and the contours of the tattoo on his face weren't helping, he was itching for a fight.

Standing up with an unreadable look on his face, Irvine peered down the hallway. "The infirmary is just down here on the right. Let's go."

Casually saddling the rifle onto his shoulder, Irvine stalked down the corridor first with the others in tow. He poked his head around the door frame, his eyes taking in the various beds and clipboards hanging on the walls. Several computers were left on, as indicated by the dull glow from their attached monitors. Whoever was working here must have left in a hurry. Not a single soul came here to be fixed up, they either didn't need to or they all died before they could come here for aid.

Walking down the rows of empty beds, freshly pressed and gleaming white in the filtered rays of the sun streaming in from the blinds, Selphie laid a single hand down on one of the soft sheets. "I wonder if my friends felt any pain before they died."

Zell gave a cry of indignation, "You're just going to give up on them like that?!" He whipped a hand out, indicating the room around them, "Just because we can't find anyone yet doesn't mean they're not still alive." He rapped a fist on his chest, "They are SeeD, like us. They wouldn't go down that easy."

"Maybe…" Her voice trailed off.

Seeing the need to relieve the tension and despair in the room, Irvine wandered over to the monitors. Brushing aside the sanitized utensils and other implements of surgery, he sat down on the stool before wheeling it in toward the keyboard. "Hey Selphie? Is Trabia's computers all connected via one interconnected network like Balamb's is?"

Her thoughts distracted, she came over and lounged on his shoulder, "It might be." She pointed to the initiate button in the lower right of the screen, "Press that and type in the prompt that appears." Irvine fumbled a bit with the mouse and keys as he typed in what she was instructing, "Shall I sit in the driver's seat?" She said after a time.

Realizing she was poking fun at his lack of tech savviness, he let loose a small growl, "I'm fine Selphie. Just keep telling me what to do."

She giggled a bit before relaying more commands. After a few minutes of more typed in commands and prompts, they were in the central database of Trabia's network. Zell wasn't exactly paying that much attention until a singular topic caught his attention, "Stop! Click that box."

Irvine looked at what Zell was pointing at and read, "Trabia GF Inventory. Why did you want this one?"

With fierce purpose in his eyes, Zell explained, "If everyone here is dead, including Selphie's friends, then all their GFs should have been released back into their inventory. Based on how many are missing, we can assume that each SeeD took two GFs with them and from that we can get an accurate head count of how many we should be looking for!"

"Booyaka!" Selphie whooped, punching the air with a fist as she hopped on a leg in elation. Sometimes Zell could be so smart!

Irvine scrolled down the list of Guardian Force names with increasing worry. There were simply too many in the database. Were the SeeDs training here in Trabia not using them? He came to a couple blank slots where Guardian Forces should have been. Zell exclaimed rather loudly, "See?! What'd I tell you!? There are still some out there who survived! How many are missing?"

Excited that his idea actually produced results, he laid a firm hand on Irvine's shoulder as both him and Selphie leaned in close to the monitor, practically touching cheeks with Irvine. With a click of the mouse, he selected an empty space and entered a command to reveal the name and powers of the Guardian Force in question. It came back with one simple statement, ' _ERROR: GF does not exist, please select another entry_.'

"What's that mean?" Selphie queried.

"I don't know." Irvine said, scrunching his brow as he selected several more, each producing the same result. None of those missing Guardian Forces existed.

"That doesn't make sense." Zell pondered, putting a fist to his chin in thought, "I highly doubt the caretakers of the GF inventory would make invalid entries." With a brief dip of his head, he decided something internally to himself. "I'm going to go walking around, continue to look for survivors."

"We'll come with you!" Selphie popped up from beside Irvine.

Zell put a palm up to stay her enthusiasm, "No, I think you need to help Irvine here and see if you can access any more information about what happened here. That and…" His gaze dipped down to the floor, not wanting to meet her eyes, "I just want to be alone for a bit. Okay?"

With a look and an understanding nod from Irvine, Zell turned on his heel and strode out into the hallway. Confident that Zell was out of earshot, Irvine turned his head to gaze at Selphie with a mischievous glint in his eye, "There are some nice, soft, clean beds over there. We have a little time before we have to meet back up with Squall. Want to christen your old home?"

"Seriously?!" She yanked the hat right off his head before smacking him with it hard.

* * *

Zell barged out of the infirmary, his mind a storm of emotions. More than anything, he wanted to be out of that room. Deep down, he knew he should be happy for Selphie and Irvine but he just couldn't bring himself to show it. Xu's rejection still stung and it was soiling his entire day. Even though he knew he'd never find Xu's body among the empty halls of Trabia, he wondered what he would do if he came across her, cold and lifeless. Probably give her a swift kick to the ribs. Was he really that vindictive? He didn't know anymore, he just wanted the pain in his heart to go away.

He began doing several punches and kicks into the air. Before he knew it, he had traveled nearly the entire length of the outer ring of the quad with his violent exercise. He was breathing deeply, catching his breath when he smelled something rather off. He began tracking down the source of that putrid smell. At length he spied a small column of smoke rising from what he guessed was the cafeteria facility. It was then that the nature of the odor finally hit him like a freight train; it was the smell of burning flesh.

Urgency propelling him forward, he ran to the entrance, stopping suddenly in his tracks as he heard laughter from inside. Glancing down to his armband, Zell confirmed he still had Bahamut and Chaos junctioned to his magic. Two of the most powerful Guardian Forces they had ever encountered. He had been drawing and training hard with extremely potent magic these past few months. He felt ready for anything.

He carefully crept down the nondescript hallway, quietly making his way through the kitchens leading into the cafeteria itself. There were several stoves still turned on, the contents in the pots and pans above them completely spoiled or burnt. Crouching low by the edge of the doorway, he scrutinized the room. Stifling a gasp, he saw that the tables and benches were shoved to the far edges of the long room. In the center was a large pile of half-naked corpses, a fire was slowly consuming the disgusting mass of cadavers.

"And here comes another one!" A hearty guffaw from a nearby entrance forced Zell further into the shadows. Emerging from the darkness of the frame was a rather large man in a red jump suit with short, cropped blond hair. He was dragging a mutilated female SeeD by the leg. What was curious was that he was pulling the body along with a silver arm made of some unidentifiable metal.

With a heave, the man tossed the body onto the rising pile, snickering as it rolled down a few layers of limbs to its final resting place. Another sound triggered Zell's senses; hunkered unnaturally close to the ghastly pyre was a woman of similar clothing. Her chestnut hair draped down about her head, hiding the true nature of her actions. Below her was a disemboweled SeeD, his innards open on horrific display. A slight sucking sound was heard from the woman hovering over him.

Scrambling in his side pockets, Zell whipped out a small black device. He quickly opened it in half before rearranging its mechanical pieces to resemble a single eye binocular. He put it to his eye to get a better look at the woman. He crinkled his nose in revulsion as he saw her feasting away at his entrails, gleefully sucking down a piece of liver. He pressed a button to zoom in closer but did not realize the excessive whirring it would make. The woman's head sprung up, cerise liquid dribbling down her chin, her eyes searching the shadows where he resided.

"Oh, Renard…I think we have a rat in our midst." She took a deep whiff, she made a rather orgasmic sound, "And he's male…and fresh!"

The burly man whipped around, his gaze rapt on Zell. "Come out boy. We know you are there."

Carelessly tossing the binocular aside with a clatter, Zell rose assertively before stepping out into the light of the flames. He stared each of them down as he readied his fists for the pounding, "You are going to pay for this."

Renard just grinned as the woman licked her lips, "Delicious."

* * *

 _ **Chapter Notes:** Three chapters in a row with people waking up from sleep! Promise it won't happen again! However, I truly needed this bit with Squall and Rinoa. I just couldn't justify shoving it in to Chapter 2 and we needed a bit more time with Rinoa since we got so little of her from the previous chapter. I also wanted to establish and set a tone for a bit more over-arching mythic lore to the story with regards to Ultimecia and introduce it here to keep it in the back of reader's minds. The rest of the chapter flowed fairly smoothly until the end where the team splits up to investigate Trabia Garden. I had a hard time figuring out logical dialogue between the sets of characters during a tense moment in their mission. As teenagers, would they still be thinking about these things in the heat of the moment? My goal was to continue to impart upon the reader the deeper relationships and thoughts of each character with these small dialogues in the midst of this horrific event. As per the usual for my work, the cliffhanger was planned and I hope keeps readers on the edge of their seat, wanting more._


	4. Chapter 4 - Seeded Within

"I don't get it." Selphie said with trepidation. "Why are they attacking each other!?"

Irvine had no words as they watched the security camera footage they had just hacked into minutes earlier. It depicted the entire contingent of SeeD stationed there at Trabia getting ready for battle. Each one was assigned duties and tasks, each one obediently taking up position along the outer wall and interior quad. Several junior classmen were helping fortify the interior by setting up sandbags and gun turrets for the upper classmen to man.

All seemed to be in order as they all waited in silence, looking out beyond the wall at some unknown threat coming towards them. It was then that Selphie noticed an odd bit of movement along the eastern wall parapet. There was a SeeD who appeared to be a sharpshooter like Irvine, his expression calm and his poise confident. However, it changed suddenly as he brought up his sights and placidly walked over to his classmate. His fellow SeeD barely registered something was wrong when the rifle was brought up to his temple and fired at point blank range. His brains exploded out the other side, startling several others nearby, causing them to fall quickly to the gunfire.

Both Irvine and Selphie stared in horror as they watched the feedback reel of multiple SeeDs suddenly turning their weapons and magic on their friends, their comrades, their fellow SeeD. Several gun turrets began firing into the mass with impunity. Bodies exploded, people carved in half, blood splatter everywhere. It was carnage and neither one of them had any explanation as to why it happened. An internal civil war brought the entire Garden to its knees as the real threat was still rumbling closer. An explosion at the front gates of Trabia Garden on the monitor coincided with a similar explosion nearby.

"Did you hear that?" Selphie said, her eyes perked for any more telling noise.

"I sure did! We need to find Zell and fast!" Irvine hastily agreed, swiping up his rifle as he grabbed her hand and rushed out of the medical ward.

No sooner had they stepped outside when two concussive puffs of smoke hit the ground by their feet, leaving miniature craters where they hit. Sensing the angle of the bullet entry into the ground, Irvine traced it back to a nearby planted tree. Lounging casually atop the foliage was a rather small, silver haired man. What was more peculiar about him was his arms, instead of anything remotely normal looking, he had two mechanical gun barrels. The man stared down at them with cool menace, his long, silver hair lazily fluttering in the cool wind.

"You shall go no further." He said monotonously; as if to emphasize his point, he lifted one of his arms and pointed it at them.

"Selphie, get behind me!" Irvine commanded, putting a protective hand behind his back, his armband visible to her alone.

"Oh! Right!" She said dumbly, hoping that would throw off their attacker. Irvine had purposefully done this to give her access to his band to select an opening volley under the pretense of protecting her. She huddled behind him in mock fear as she quickly zipped through the menus to select the most ideal spell for him to cast. She gave a quick pinch to his butt once she had made her choice.

"Split left Selphie!" He whispered harshly as he flung his arm forward, a singular suction of air was heard as a miniature black hole before his fingertips erupted outwards in a volatile surge of energy. "Are you kidding me Selphie!? I was saving this!" He shouted as he realized she had chosen Ultima for him, one of the most destructive spells known to man.

She winked and smiled as she continued to sprint away in the opposite direction of his position, looking for potential cover. The unknown assailant's eyes widened at the unexpected spell and quickly leaped off the tree, firing several rounds through the air. Irvine cut the magic loose before diving into a roll to avoid the piercing bullets that burrowed deep into the pavement where he had stood before exploding into miniature eruptions of concrete and debris. Running sidelong with the short man, who barely needed time to recover after landing, Irvine brought up his gun and fired several parting shots before leaping into the doorway of a nearby facility. The Ultima bubble of destruction continued to expand, destroying anything it touched.

In a blinding flash and a horrible roar, the energy built up within Ultima could not be contained any further. It blew outwards with the force of a hundred bombs. Trees were incinerated on the spot as benches, pots, and other man-made objects were flung vast distances, some disintegrating before they even hit the ground. Irvine slammed his back up against the cool interior wall of the building he managed to dive into. The lethal energies surged past the doorframe, shaking the very foundations of the structure, causing dust and silt to fall atop his head.

Just what in Hyne's name was Selphie thinking of having him use that spell in such close quarters like this? It seemed overkill. That was his second to last draw of Ultima too. He had been trying to save up a few of those for the past few months. They were very hard to come by. Once it seemed the roar of the after effects had dulled, he brought up his rifle again and poked his head back outside. There, standing defiantly in the middle of the quad, a barrier of Shell slowly dissipating around him, was the silver haired man.

"Well done." The man commended smoothly. "You actually managed to surprise me for once." His eyes flared. "It shall not happen again."

Both limbs disassembling and reforming into a newer, much larger shape, the man slapped his arms together. Irvine cursed as he saw the two become one large cannon. The man recoiled backwards from the blast as a beam of pure photon energy hurtled towards Irvine. With sweat slightly trickling down his forehead, he dashed to the side. The building he had taken cover in shattered upwards into a plethora of deadly shrapnel.

Bobbing and weaving in-between the falling fragments, Irvine closed the distance before taking aim and firing an armor piercing bullet towards the man's abdomen. To his shock, the man swiftly brought up his arm, manipulating it into a metal shield to deflect the bullet. It lodged into his arm firmly but would go no further through it. Stunned that his shot was blocked, Irvine could only come to one conclusion, he was using Triple combined with Haste. It was the only way to account for his reactions.

No sooner had he recovered from the engagement, one of the man's barrels was right under his chin. Good gods, he was fast! Irvine fell backwards as he brought the barrel of his own gun skyward to fire into the man's arm as a bullet clipped his face. He cried out in pain as blood began spilling out from his mouth. He fell to the ground and swiftly kicked his leg out to trip the assassin, for that is what it seemed like he was. The action succeeded, only to have Irvine stare as the man used the momentum of his fall to somersault backwards back onto his feet, both barrels pointing back at him, silver hair whipping about.

His eyes looked to the periphery of his vision as he called out, "Don't think I forgot about you either." He raised an arm, Reflecting the incoming Pain spell. It rebounded back and knocked Selphie full in the face as she was racing towards him, intent on pummeling him with her nun chucks. She tripped over her feet in her blindness as she felt the poison settling into her blood.

"Is this the best SeeD has to offer? The Sorceresses deserved better…" He simpered as he took aim at the two of them.

* * *

"What is this?" Quistis commented, shock evident on her face.

Squall had discovered the video footage that Selphie and Irvine had viewed. Quistis had a hand to her mouth in utter shock at the events transpiring before their eyes. Squall's expression darkened the more he watched. He looked closely at each SeeD that had turned traitor. It was as if something inside had shut off and they were merely acting on basic functions. This was confirmed when the true villains blew down the front entrance. A man with a metal arm ran straight for one of the turned SeeDs and crushed his skull between his fingers, blood spurting everywhere. The SeeD did nothing to fight back. He didn't even given any recognition to imminent danger coming for him.

"This was planned." Squall stated with finality. "These three," He gestured to the three aggressors who had stormed the front gates. One with the metal arm, another with a whip and a third with gun barrels for arms, "are the true enemies here. It is clear they are making no distinction between any of the SeeDs. They are killing all in their path. However," He then indicated the rest of the cadets, "something was planted that activated the few that caused the chaos. It allowed the enemy freedom of passage into Trabia and ultimately its downfall."

Quistis scanned the headmaster logs, referencing them as far back as three months ago. "I'm not able to find anything amiss in these journals. There have been no abnormal behaviors or findings within Trabia Garden. This was completely unexpected."

"A long term plant?" Squall wondered as he turned his eyes back to the recording.

An earth shattering boom reverberated through the facility as the ground beneath them shook. A hanging monitor fell off its wall mount and crashed to the floor. "What was that?" Quistis wondered; whip already in hand, a spell at her fingertips.

Squall ignored the question as he regarded the woman in the video, burning people's necks with her whip, slicing them in half when she turned it up to its highest intensity. She stared straight at Squall through the camera, recorded hours past, and leered repugnantly. "They knew we'd come…" He said more for his benefit than for Quistis's.

Another rumble nearby alerted Quistis to an approaching danger, a skirmish was happening just beyond the control room. "What was that?" She repeated more forcefully.

"Whoever they are…they knew we'd come to find this massacre. They lured us here on purpose!" Squall began to shout, cross with himself for making such a stupid mistake.

Another boom sounded just outside the door in the hallway, Quistis took a few paces back toward Squall, "We knew it could be a trap going in. We expected that."

"Yes, but we did not expect this. It is not us they are after. They need swift transportation back to Balamb Garden with the security of our insignia painted on the side! We just handed it to them on a silver platter!" Slamming a fist down on the panel, he whipped around to her, "We need to fall back and get back to our boat transport now!"

The door exploded inwards, taking a huge chunk of the wall with it. Barreling through the gaping hole was Zell, beaten and bruised to an almost bloody pulp. No sooner had he come flying through the wall, a leather strap lashed out with a crack and caught him around the neck in mid-air. Jerking him back through the orifice, nearly snapping his neck at the reversal of velocity, Zell rushed headlong toward the grinning woman Squall had seen on the monitor.

Opening her arms wide to receive his limp body, she wrapped herself around his muscular form. She breathed huskily as she brought her lips to his, "You don't have to jump at me all at once now." With a chomping bite, she gripped hard on his lower lip, drawing blood. His cry of misery was muffled as she dove into the kiss with gusto, drinking up the blood as she savored his flavor.

"Zell?! What are you doing?" Squall shouted, gunblade raised and pointed at the burly man lumbering through the rubble of the door.

With a flourish, the woman unfurled the whip around Zell's neck, letting him spiral through the air before flopping in a heaping mess before Quistis's feet. He struggled vainly to look up at her with his puffy eyes before sputtering out one word, "Meltdown."

Both of them heard it. "Reflect!" Squall yelled. The spells slammed into the protective barriers they each put up, rebounding outwards back at their attackers. In an instant, both aggressors launched Reflective shields of their own. Meltdown evaporated into the ether as it bounced off a second time. It was a rather nasty spell that made its victim completely unwilling to move, as if they were extremely lethargic, thus leaving them open to attack.

Rapidly swiping up on his armband, Squall engaged Slow around him and the burly man who has just closed the distance between them. An aura of rippling energy erupted around Squall, the silver fist inches from his nose. Utilizing the momentary reprieve of time, he sidestepped around the man allowing him to lurch past, smashing a desk in half with the arm. Recovering suddenly, the man swiveled and launched another attack. Squall barely got his gunblade up in time to absorb the impact before it buckled him to his knees at the force of it.

"We got a rather live one here Loramel!" The man chuckled.

"I hope he's just as delicious as the first Renard. Please get me his heart." Loramel crooned, before cracking her whip at Quistis.

Squall could hear the whirring motors in the man's arm kick into high gear as he crunched down hard on the gunblade. His strength gave out as Renard pummeled the gunblade into Squall's chest, slamming him to the floor. Quickly reacting, Squall let loose a small burst of Aero at the man's feet, flipping him over onto his rump. He got to a knee and brought down the gunblade, pulling the trigger as he did so. The attack was futile as Renard rolled out of the way, the small explosion sending shockwaves through the floor.

"Dammit! Quistis, they have Triple active!" He cautioned irritably.

Quistis nodded as she readied Haste to keep up with the multitude of actions Loramel was performing at once. They were cracking their whips at each other's ankles, arms, and necks, each trying to catch the other off guard. Loramel seemed to be acting faster and getting far more licks in. One dangerous lash smacked Quistis across the cheek, with a quick press of a button at the base of the whip, the entire length caught on fire. It seared her skin as it zipped past it, grazing it ever so painfully.

Now given time to breathe and recuperate, Zell was internally Curing himself, redirecting the energies to the necessary limbs he needed to continue the fight. As much as the burning in his lip warranted a Cure, he knew it wasn't necessary to heal right now to assist Squall. The aching in his ribs subsiding and the Protect slowly dulling his sense of pain, Zell pushed himself up off the floor with his fists, eyes scanning for their first target. He detected that Squall was flagging against the flurry of metal endowed punches and kicks from Renard.

Spitting a bloody globule to the side, Zell charged towards the brute and coldcocked him in the back of the head, sending him flailing forward to the floor. Leaping into the air and redirecting a Tornado spell into the ground, he rode the current into the man's inert body, ramming his elbow into the spine. Zell grinned as he heard a satisfying crack at the accelerated impact of his elbow drop.

"You okay Zell?" Squall probed, breathing heavily and leaning hard on his gunblade to stabilize his shaking arms.

Zell gave him a wink, "Never better! You thought that would take me do-"

He didn't get another word in as Renard rolled beneath Zell, reaching up to grip him by the neck. With a heaving throw, he tossed Zell clear across the room, slamming him into the rack of displays, causing more monitors to fall to the ground in an ear-splitting clatter. Squall was on him in an instant, blasting several bolts of Lightning at Renard's feet as he rolled, flipped and leapt back onto his feet. Squall cursed as he saw him switch gears and advance on Quistis.

"Quistis, look out!" Squall warned.

Ducking low over a rather nastily aimed swipe, she struck out toward Loramel with her whip and the combined might of Stop. The spell hit the devilish woman squarely in the chest, causing her to topple over as her body went rigid. With a satisfied sneer, Quistis let the leather wrap around the woman's waist before plunging to the floor, using the motion to help swing Loramel's body into Renard's. Seeing the opportunity, Squall electrified the whip as Quistis let go, utilizing its chain-link core as the conduit. Loramel slammed into Renard, pitching them both to the floor as Lightning coursed through their bodies, causing them to convulse and twitch.

Squall immediately rushed to Zell's aid as he wrapped an arm around his neck, lifting Zell up to his feet. "Hey, do you still feel like you can fight?"

Zell winced as he felt the pain in his ribs return. He released another Protect into his body to help with the sting. "I'll be alright. Who are these guys?"

Limping around the two quivering bodies, Squall observed that Quistis was cut and bruised but relatively unharmed. "I have no idea. They clearly have far more experience in the field than we do." He looked down at Renard, who was completely aware of his situation and trying in vain to remove the whip from their tangled forms. Squall looked out down the hall as they all heard several loud bangs from outside, followed by muffled shouting. "We need to get back to Selphie and Irvine. They no doubt have found the third attacker."

"What about my weapon?" Quistis bemoaned, staring longingly at her trusty companion.

Shuffling Zell out the blown doorframe, he looked back at her, "Leave it. It is the only thing keeping them immobile. We can always create another one for you."

Bowing her head in acceptance at his logic, she jogged out after them. The metal enforced door banged against the concrete wall of the shaft as Squall led the charge down the flights of stairs. Zell, having borrowed a few extra draws of Cure from Squall managed to heal his ankles enough to keep up with the frenetic pace their leader was setting. They reached the bottom, kicking open the ground level door.

Quistis noted a rather gaping hole in the ceiling, revealing the classroom above. A chair had fallen through to the lower floor, which they had to maneuver around. "Zell, I thought you were with Irvine and Selphie. How'd you get to the control room three floors up?" She was baffled as to how it occurred.

Zell shook his head as he continued to trail after Squall, "It's a long story. We actually started in the cafeteria."

She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off suddenly when Squall ran through the foyer entrance, gunblade blasting at the unseen threat. Stepping outside she had to shield her eyes from the glare of the setting sun before she noticed the raging gunfight just meters beyond the base of the steps leading up to the central structure. Irvine was on a knee, bleeding freely from a bullet wound to the thigh. Selphie was launching magic blasts while trying to edge closer to the short man with the dual gun arms.

Taking aim, Squall let lose a few shots from his gunblade. It was distracting at best; his weapon was meant more for close quarters combat. Thankfully it did what he had intended it for. The man quickly somersaulted away from Irvine's photon blast before turning his sights on Squall and the others. A couple flash bangs heralded incoming fire. They all dove for cover behind the bushes flanking the primary entrance as both shots punctured through several layers of concrete.

"Irvine, provide us some rapid burst cover fire!" Squall ordered before directing his eyes to Selphie, "Back him up with several more spells." He bounded out from behind the brush, Protect at the ready and Triple active as he shouted a few more commands, "Quistis, divert any bullets with Slow while Zell and I go in and pummel this creep!"

Hyped up at his leader's aggressive attitude, Zell felt a second wind permeate through his body. "Oh yeah! Let's tackle this punk!

At once, the five of them went into action. The man flipped and cartwheeled across the quad to avoid the machinegun fire from Irvine and Fire blasts from Selphie. In-between landings, he picked off several rounds of his own. Quistis produced several auras of Slow just meters ahead of both Squall and Zell, decelerating the bullets in mid-air. Squall was nearly upon the dual gunned man when a stray bullet just skirted the edge of a spell field and nicked Squall's cheek, flashing red at its passing.

Using the pain of his injury to fuel his anger, Squall screamed in rage as he brought the gunblade down upon the man's left arm, his trigger squeezed. The vibration rolled down the length of the blade and detonated into the man's barrel, causing him to stagger to a knee. Recovering swiftly, the man brought his non guarding arm up underneath his armpit to launch a deadly salvo at Zell, who had to make an immediate dive to the side, ruining the momentum he had for a perfect strike.

Pressing forward with the arm locked in lethal embrace with Squall's gunblade, the man knocked Squall off balance before taking aim at his foot and blasting it. Taking the momentary opening as Squall screamed in agony, he yanked his arm back, disarming Squall in the process before tossing the gunblade to the pavement. Attempting to re-aim back at his head, the man had to leap away from the incoming fists of Zell.

"Fefnir!" A guttural cry emerged behind them.

Quistis whirled around to see Renard and Loramel stumble out of the center facility. Slamming both hands into the ground, she dragging them forward along the ground, initiating Quake; the ground beneath their feet rumbled as a line of erupting rock made its way towards the two. Renard and Loramel diverged just as the ground beneath their feet burst upwards in several spiked rock formations that would have impaled them both.

"We are being recalled back to town. We have our transport!" Loramel called out, inclining her head towards the building structure at the far end of the quad that looked to be a garage of a sort.

Grunting his displeasure at leaving the battlefield so soon, Fefnir cuffed Zell across the head with an arm, twisting Zell's wrist and flipping him upside down before grappling the other with his remaining barrel. Placing the opposing gunpoint pointed up into Zell's outstretched arm, he fired, blowing chunks of flesh high into the air as Zell screamed, collapsing to cradle his injured arm.

Seeing the trio dodge Selphie's magic as they made a serpentine route towards the garage, Squall stumbled back up to his feet. "After them! We can't let them escape!"

Selphie immediately went to Irvine's aid as she applied Cure to his wounded thigh. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he limped swiftly after Squall, who was already hobbling himself yet refusing to acknowledge his bleeding foot. Quistis assisted Zell by closing the wound on his arm with Regen, it wasn't perfect and it would take days before it looked whole again and it would leave a nasty scar.

They had just reached the car bay as three motorcycles zipped past them. Rallying the others onto motorcycles of their own, Squall kicked the stand up before revving the engine and racing out the hangar-like doors. Cold wind whipping at their faces, they had to shield their eyes as the setting sun glared down on them from the west. It appeared the enemy was making a direct line towards Trabia, no doubt to secure the recon vehicle and ultimately the boat they had come in. Regrouping in a single line formation, they hit the hills hard, jarring their freshly closed wounds but not daring to slow down.

"We have a problem!" Irvine winced, as another bump juddered his thigh harshly against the motorcycle. He pulled up alongside Squall as he pointed out the threat directly ahead.

"I see it!" Squall affirmed.

Renard, Loramel and Fefnir were heading straight for the purple Behemoth. Be it suicidal tendencies or sadistic diversion, the ire of the creature would soon be directed upon them and by extension to Squall and the others. He cursed loudly, suspecting that their intentions were to enrage the beast to attack and thus slow down their pursuit or at the least kill them off if they were unlucky.

Sensing that their current formation wouldn't apply to the problem at hand, he signaled Irvine and Zell to split off north around the beast while he, Quistis and Selphie split south. By dividing its attention, they could probably confuse it to the point they could blaze past it with minimal complications.

Squall grimaced as he saw the female rider extend her whip to the side, the tail end of it flapping in the wind. In an instant, the entire length was on fire as she cracked it hard against the hind quarters of the Behemoth, leaving a red, glowing welt. It roared in indignation, lumbering in a wide circle to identify the perpetrator of such agony. Its large black eyes rested on Squall and the others and began kicking up dirt with its front paws. The beast roared as it charged forward, head down and horns locked straight ahead, determined on bucking any riders it collided with into the air.

Zell was the first to look down on the small dashboard on their motorcycles and noticed several controls to deploy the side guns. Leaning his bike north as the team split down the middle, letting the beast trample past, he pressed a button on the right side of the gauges. Two small side panels in the center of the front rims slid and retracted inward into the wheel revealing two small gun barrels, extending out on either side.

He whooped as he called out to Irvine, "Hey, check your bike's board! We got guns on these things! I'm going back!"

"We need to continue the chase!" Irvine shouted back. "Ignore the thing!"

"Naw! I got an idea!" Zell said excitedly.

Kicking up grass and dirt on the tight turn, Zell surged forward to engage the beast. Irvine rolled his eyes before turning his bike around, guns slotting out to the sides to match Zell's bike. Within seconds, the towering Behemoth filled their view as they opened fire on its paws, causing it to rear up in fury. They weaved through its legs as it pounded the ground, raking its claws in the turf, casting deep grooves in the earth.

What the hell were they doing? Squall noticed Selphie gazing back and hesitating. He moved alongside her, taking care to not get too close and crash them both. "Irvine and Zell can handle things. Our objective is to get back to Trabia and secure our van before they do!"

Seemingly oblivious to his words, she stared at him, "Did you know our bikes have guns?"

Now that she mentioned it, there was a low rattling of gun fire with short flashes of light emitting from the front wheels of the bikes, constantly maneuvering around the slow, hulking beast. Squall was not sure exactly what their plan was since small rounds like that wouldn't put much of a dent in the Behemoth; rather it would just piss it off more. He shrugged before finding the red button that initiated his bike guns.

With new initiative, the three of them surged ahead, leaving Zell and Irvine to distract the creature. They were slowly closing in on Renard, Loramel and Fefnir. After coming within several hundred meters of them, Squall opened fire alongside Quistis and Selphie. Small tufts of dirt flew into the air as the trail of fire was slowly corrected up to the retreating motorcycles.

Several bullets hit the back side tire of Fefnir's bike, causing him to jack knife hard to the left. In one fluid motion, Fefnir stood up in the seat, flipped over onto Loramel's bike beside him while twirling in the air before firing off several rounds. He landed with a grunt, his back to hers as she kicked in the afterburner, causing flames to spurt from the tailpipe. Utilizing Aero with each bullet, he fired off several volleys at maximum velocity.

"Shit!" Squall swore, as the first impact hit the grass beside him. A huge plume of dirt spiraled into the air as several arcing bolts of electricity scattered out, seeking mechanical components to disrupt and destroy. "Evasive maneuvers!" He cried out to the other two.

Quistis and Selphie split apart as another burst of earth shattered the ground where they once were. The town of Trabia was in sight as they thundered in, continually shirking the deadly rounds Fefnir was launching. How much ammo did he have stored in those arms? Surely he would run out at some point! When they could, they managed to get a few more shots in, several bullets peppering bike sides with indented holes.

Renard's cycle cleared the first row of buildings as Fefnir changed targets and aimed at the base of each corner building flanking the road. Letting loose with two explosive tipped shells, he collapsed the buildings onto the street, blocking the immediate way forward. Squall swerved hard to the right with Quistis and Selphie in tow, scanning the row of housing for the next available road to take. Going around the town would cost precious time and they needed a straight shot through to get to their vehicle.

Identifying the next open street approaching on their left, Squall signaled the other two to lean hard into the turn to make the tight corner. Veering left and right for stray cars in the road, abandoned after the attack happened, Quistis hurled a potent mix of Tornado and Fire at the lone truck blocking the entire boulevard. It flew upwards with the force of the blast, coiling in the air above them before smashing onto the cobblestones with a blazing crash.

Squall pulled the motorcycle up short as they reached the central plaza with the grotesque graveyard and Trabia unity arch. Someone had already pulled their armored van into the square and was casually lounging in the passenger seat, leg resting through the unrolled window frame of the open door. The first thing he noticed was the jagged gunblade placed across the man's lap. So there is yet another user of this difficult weapon, Squall thought, a sudden rush of excitement coursing through his body.

"Malthius!" Loramel yelled as they pulled in from an opposing street.

Turning his head to regard his companions, Malthius droned, "Please tell me you have better news than the sight of these pitiful SeeD. I expected you to have killed them all."

Her eyes immediately went to the ground at his reprimand. Renard dove off his cycle, allowing it to careen toward Selphie, who had to gear up to narrowly avoid its passing. Ignoring the crashing of the bike as it smashed into the nearby store, which looked like what was once a very popular bakery, Renard stomped up beside Malthius before spitting harshly to the side. "We got distracted by these SeeD reinforcements. They were not present at the attack. We believe them to be from the Balamb branch."

Malthius raised an eyebow at Squall, dismissing the fact they were dismounting their motorcycles and prepping their weapons. "How grand! Looks like our ruse worked after all." He turned to Fefnir, now gracelessly dismounting himself from Loramel's bike. "And you said they wouldn't take the bait!"

Fefnir puffed away a bang hanging low across his eyes, "I said it was doubtful they'd come, that they would expect it to be a trap and ignore the summons."

"Well then," Malthius boomed with grandiose abandon, removing his leg from atop the base of the window frame and stepping out before the commandeered van. "Let use introduce ourselves properly." Setting the point of his blade to the ground, he flared out his arm as he bowed low, "I am Malthius." He indicated his three companions in turn, "This here is Renard, Loramel and Fefnir."

"I don't care what your names are! You will die for what you've done!" Squall spat venomously. Not since the previous Sorceress War had he seen such butchery of his fellow SeeD. He wanted their deaths to be swift, yet painful.

"Manners." Malthius admonished before pointing to a figure behind Quistis. "And that there is Theros. He'd be more than happy to make your acquaintance."

"Time to be puppets!" Theros squealed maniacally as he popped off several canisters of smoke from his dual nun chucks.

The air was immediately saturated with thick, green gas. Squall and the others began to cough as the toxic fumes infiltrated their lungs and burned like fire. Knowing he had seconds to act, he raised his gunblade high as he charged Theros in an attempt to remove the threat and thus potentially disperse the gas. He faltered halfway as he tripped over his feet and hit the ground hard. He couldn't move. He willed his arms to act but they defied him. Theros tilted his head this way and that as he watched them through the clouded lenses of his mask, crouched like some wicked spider.

"They are like the others." Fefnir coolly stated, pointing to their armbands.

"Renard," Malthius requested smoothly, "see to it that their armbands are added with the rest. We've almost cracked the code but we need more. The previous ones keep breaking."

"With pleasure!" He knelt down beside Squall before striking his fist into Squall's face, cracking his nose. Squall wanted to scream at the excruciating, knifing pain that flooded through his skull but he could not. Blood began gushing out of his nostrils from the broken bone underneath. Callously lifting his arm, Renard ripped off the armband before moving on to Quistis and Selphie's.

"Finally!" Loramel purred. She stepped up beside Squall's inert form before raising her hands inches above his chest.

A small gasp of air escaped his throat as he felt all the magic seep out of his body. Everything he had drawn was being drained away. Several more inhales of air indicated that Quistis and Selphie were having their magic drained away as well by Renard and Fefnir. It was like some violating abomination was reaching deep inside their inner being and ripping out a part of their soul. It felt profane.

"It's all gone!" Quistis managed to splutter, drool trickling down the side of her lips at the complete lack of bodily control.

"Right you are, my lovely lady!" Malthius chuckled as he clicked his tongue. "It is a shame you'll have to die like the rest, you are quite the catch." She could do nothing but glare at him from the ground, he laughed at her helplessness. "You see, I can't have agents of Hyne and his abhorrent 'gift' freely roaming the lands, blissfully ignorant of the herald they represent."

Giving a swift kick to Selphie's ribs, causing her to writhe momentarily from the shocking string of it, Renard gloated, "Every single one of you, thinking yourself so high and mighty. Living above and beyond the poor wretches of this world, deigning yourself in 'service' to them as if you're actually helping when in reality you are using that which is not yours for your own gain!"

"All magic must be stamped out!" Theros cackled with glee, lazily moving the nun chucks in circles, causing Quistis to contort in odd and agonizing positions.

"If it means it takes magic to defeat magic, then so be it." Fefnir spoke imperturbably, "Our time of reckoning will come when it comes but we will be the harbingers of truth in a world shrouded in lies."

Loramel fiddled the deep scar in her lips with her tongue, "After its all over, can I eat them?"

"No!" Malthius snarled. He rounded on Renard after seeing the fresh stains of blood on her face, "You encouraged her habit again, didn't you?!"

He smirked before shrugging, "As long as she does her job, what business is it of mine what she does with the corpses?"

Malthius scrunched his nose in loathing, "It doesn't matter. We have no time to tarry here any longer. Theros, finish it and let's be on our way."

"Friends together, friends forever! Tear them apart, eat their hearts!" He crowed with delight, gesticulating his nun chucks in quick jerking motions.

Inwardly screaming at his limbs to respond, Squall sat up suddenly before getting to a knee and picking up his gunblade. He was forcibly turned to Quistis, his blade aimed at her breast. Several sniggers were heard among them as they watched Squall raise his blade high into the air to plunge it through her ribs. Quistis could not look away from her impending death. Theros would not allow her to. Her eyes were locked on Squall's as he could do nothing but carry out her fate.

A resounding boom caused everyone to stumble as the nearby building toppled to the ground with the weight of the raging Behemoth atop it. Popping a wheelie, Zell launched off the rooftop as Irvine looped around the collapsing building on the ground level, interweaving between the street lamps. Exploiting Float to reduce his rate of fall, Zell angled his bike toward Theros. With a satisfying crunch, Zell landed the cycle on his back before kicking off in a tight turn to face the other four, a crazy grin on his face.

"Guys, clear the road! It is severely pissed off now!" Irvine shouted as he zoomed past their prone positions.

The hold on their limbs dispelled, Quistis flipped backwards onto her feet as Squall rebalanced himself and brought his gunblade up to bear against Malthius. Selphie scrambled on all fours toward Zell who was hopping off his motorcycle, ready for another round. In a single motion, he gripped her forearm and pulled Selphie forcefully to her feet.

"Come on Selphie!" Zell encouraged enthusiastically, "Let's show these jerks what SeeDs can really do!" His hands were crackling with stored magical energy, ready to be unleashed into the first opponent that dared approach him.

She shook her head ardently, "I can't…we can't!" She looked to Squall and Quistis before continuing. "All our magic is gone!"

Zell's eyes popped as he turned from one to the other, all sharing the same defeated look. All they had left were their weapons and the skills to use them. Before he could get any words in, the Behemoth had recovered from the demolishing of the building and was scanning its gaze between the two groups, unsure of which prey it should attack first. A sudden revving of Irvine's engine riveted its attention as it gazed beyond Squall and the others at the annoying human, confidently sitting atop the motorcycle.

With a deafening bellow, it stampeded through the plaza, causing both groups to scatter to avoid its rampage. Irvine kicked up his feet and circled the perimeter, ensuring that the beast stayed within the town center, more as a distraction than anything else. He had faith his friends would survive the ordeal, they had been through worse.

"To the vehicle now!" Malthius commanded. He jabbed a finger to the comatose Theros. "Drag him and throw him in the back."

"Zell!" Quistis barked, pointing at the escaping enemy, "They're getting away! Please do something!"

"Ha!" He laughed as he scraped his thumb across his chin, "I got this! Bahamut, come!"

He rammed his fists together as dazzling light shone forth from the ground beneath him. The clouds above began to circle above their position; distant thunder could be heard on the horizon, steadily getting closer. The setting sun was blotted out completely by the dark clouds, a singular growl was perceived on the wind just before a familiar beating of wings. With a snarling roar, Bahamut, king of dragons, plowed through the carpet of clouds and flew down within inches of the ground before steadying itself in midflight. Its majestic, blue scales and imposing visage inspiring hope in Selphie and Squall.

Seeing the last of his comrades packed into the military vehicle, Malthius sneered at the magnificent Guardian Force. He insouciantly stepped back out of the van and raised an outstretched palm. Ignoring the raging Behemoth, who had now noticed the commanding dragon and was intent on mauling the powerful Guardian Force, Malthius closed his eyes and drew upon his people's inner power. With a final grunt, he clenched his fist tightly before aiming it toward Bahamut.

Time seemed to stand still as all eyes went to the inconceivable sight before them. Bahamut twisted and knotted into abnormal shapes as its wings buckled into itself, its howls of misery piercing the air. Flesh began to burn off its bones as its entire body began to shrink and turn into nothing but vapor. With one final wail, Bahamut was gone, leaving nothing but a small wisp of smoke where he had breathed his last.

A huge, rippling shockwave expanded outward from the epicenter of Bahamut's demise, knocking everyone to the ground. Even the Behemoth slowed its charge at the immense energy being unleashed. Zell was spread flat out on his back, a dazed look in his eyes. Everyone awkwardly tried to right themselves back up to their feet. None of them knew what had happened, only that a Guardian Force was summoned and then lost.

With a smirk, Malthius strapped himself in to the passenger seat before Renard peeled out of the plaza and down a side street; no doubt utilizing the tracking system to head straight for their launching boat still parked on the beach. Irvine shakily braced himself on his hands and knees after skidding across the cobblestone when the shockwave hit his bike. He stared out after the retreating recon vehicle, unsure of what he should do next. He spun his head back to see the Behemoth recuperating and beginning the attack on his friends.

His decision made, he popped off the ground and began dashing toward Squall. "Hey buddy! We need to bring that thing down or we don't stand a chance of outrunning it to the beach, even with Haste."

Shaking off some weird feeling inside his brain, Squall turned to Irvine, "Not that I have any Haste left. They took everything from us."

"Even the GFs?" Irvine asked incredulously, launching an explosive tipped round into the Behemoth to redirect its ire back onto them, thus saving Quistis from an untimely mauling.

The term GF brought confusion onto his face. He searched deep into himself and discovered that he still had the Guardian Forces that he was junctioned to. He breathed a sigh of relief at that. Whatever they did to drain their magic, it wasn't able to remove any Guardian Forces currently junctioned. "No…they're all right." With a confident breath, he brought up his gunblade to face the towering purple giant. "This isn't going to be easy without my magic."

Irvine grinned, "That's why you got me and Zell to protect you now!"

"As if!" Selphie yelled nearby, completely in tune with the conversation.

Squall dodged to the side as a raking claw swiped downwards at his previous position. He bounded onto the Behemoth's paw, steadying himself before running up the length to its horn before stabbing the blade deep into its boney structure. It reared its head back to toss him off but only enabled Squall, while gripping the blade hilt, to flip easily onto the top side of its horn. Yanking the weapon out, he sprinted up to the base of its skull, raising his gunblade high.

"Irvine, shock me!" Squall ordered firmly.

Obligingly casting a sizzling blast of Lightning, it struck the blade causing it to crackle with energy. Swiftly jamming it into the packed flesh behind its brain, Squall let go of the gunblade before sliding down its flank to the ground. Irvine caught his fall with Float before gently lowering him to the street. Looking back up at the Behemoth, they could see the effects as its eyes rolled back in their sockets and its legs began quivering uncontrollably. Within moments, the entire beast crashed to the ground with a boom.

"Wow Squall! That was so cool!" Selphie cheered, jumping for joy. "That was the fastest I've ever seen anyone taken down a Behemoth!"

He let the compliment roll off his back, "The idea sort of came to me."

"Oh…so modest!" Selphie teased.

"Guys! Enough of that! Something is wrong with Zell!" Quistis chided.

They all gathered around him as Quistis had his head supported in her lap. He was looking at each of them with confusion. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"No way! You can't be serious Zell!" Selphie exclaimed.

Quistis shook her head decisively, "It all seemed to happen after he had summoned that GF. Did anyone catch which one it was?"

After actually thinking about it, nobody could really remember which Guardian Force was summoned and then destroyed. "I can't really recall." Irvine admitted.

"That's exactly my point!" She said, her voice rising. "Whatever happened destroyed something in our memories and now we've lost a GF."

Selphie gasped as she put two and two together, she looked at Irvine, "All those missing GF entries…"

Irvine bowed his head, "Each one must have been removed completely from our memories as well. Lost in the attack on Trabia."

"And now Zell has lost his memory." Quistis said sadly.

"What about those bad guys?! They're on their way now to Balamb Garden!" Selphie made a few furtive steps in the direction of the beach. "Shouldn't we go after them and try to reach our boat before they do?"

"We've lost." Squall seethed, furious at himself for letting it happen. "We are three down on magic, Zell is useless at the moment and we have no idea when he'll recover, plus we can't even use our GFs for fear of having them ripped from our memories. How are we in any shape to combat them right now?" He swiped a fist through the air, wanting to strike something, anything. "Damn it!"

A slight hint of a tear began to glisten in her eye, "Do we have any way of communicating with them in Garden about the attack?"

Quistis jumped in for Squall, she could see he was about to explode from wrath, "All our comm equipment was in our recon truck or in the boat."

"There must be some way we get can word out to them!" Irvine pressed; urgency in his voice.

Suddenly calm, as if an idea sprang to his mind, Squall revealed his plan, "We head back to Trabia Garden. There appeared to still be a working communications room there, at the very least we can notify Balamb of the enemy heading their way under our insignia. Once that's accomplished, we search the garage for any vehicles we can appropriate and head out for Balamb Garden. If we're lucky, we can make it there in time or at least before they win."

"You're forgetting something." Quistis reminded him, her voice soft. "We still need to treat our wounds." She indicated his broken nose, blood still pumping freely from it. He had completely forgotten about it in the heat of the moment. "We need to find replacement magic to junction to our bodies too and above all we need to figure out how to help Zell." He gave her a furrowed look. "Squall, we should tend to ourselves first… we can't follow them…"

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:** _This chapter took way longer than I expected it to. Writing action scenes in my Legend of Zelda fanfic was way simpler than writing action scenes for Final Fantasy VIII. Things are way more technical and complex and a lot of options to choose from with regards to how a real SeeD battle would play out. Not to mention writing it in such a way that fans of the game would understand, appreciate and still follow along with every sentence of the engagement but also for non-fans of the game to read it and not have it come off as dumb. Although the chapter is slim on exposition and plot advancement, I did sneak in a few plot points that will come back later in the story. Now, I know I got a lot of flak for NOT making Link a one-man army like he is in the games, but I am writing Squall and co. in a similar fashion. Why? Because without villains who can go toe to toe with our heroes and humble them, where is the drama, excitement and tension of the story? It would be lost. So I can't completely make Squall and co. undefeatable badasses yet I still wanted to present them as capable of fighting and a force to be reckoned with. So hopefully this compromise will satisfy readers. Finally, the strengths of each villain is presented here in clear, unadulterated terms. The only villain we've yet to see his true powers manifest is Malthius and that was purposefully done for a later reveal. One thing is for certain, Squall and co. are going to need a lot of help!_


	5. Chapter 5 - Foul Objective

Rinoa had crept up to his room to apologize and potentially surprise Squall with a little late night nookie. She was disheartened when she inputted the code on the door and entered, finding the room to be perceptibly empty. His physical presence could not be felt within, the familiar shape of his body beneath the sheets strangely absent. Did he not come back from his trip to Balamb? She had not talked with him since that morning after their argument. She felt absolutely awful for treating both Squall and Quistis that way.

She walked over to the semi-round dresser by the headboard and checked the communicator that they shared. Her countenance fell further when she noted that he had not left her a note either as to where he was going. A sinking feeling in her gut told her that he never bothered to come back to see how she was doing or to at least inform her of where he had gone. Did she really piss him off that bad this morning? It was clear he was out with the rest of the gang on some mission or another. He hadn't been out in the field in quite a few months.

Setting the device back down onto the white, oaken wood, Rinoa eased into the covers of the bed. Spreading her limbs out to gently massage the spot where Squall would have been, she gripped his pillow and brought it to her nose, breathing in deeply his lingering scent. She lamented the fact he was gone and wished he could be there holding her tightly. Why did everything have to be so complicated? They were so much happier a year ago.

Staring blankly at stark white sheets, she recalled the time when Squall had stormed in to their small bunk room that used to be his old quarters during his training at Garden. They had to move the second inhabitant to a new room at the time but with Squall being the current leader of Balamb Garden, they hardly minded. It was cramped and they had to share a twin sized bed but it was cozy and above all, private. They adored their time together in that room.

"What happened Squall?" She asked the moment he barged into the room and slouched onto their bed, head in his hands.

"Nothing." He exclaimed, a bit louder than he had intended for he immediately withdrew into himself like he so often did. She could tell his mind was racing with thoughts and feelings and in his mind he felt as if he was relaying them all to her when in fact utter silence persisted between them.

"Squall?" She mocked teasingly, tilting her head to the side as she leaned over him. "You have to voice your thoughts or I won't be able to understand."

He jerked his head up at her, his thoughts interrupted abruptly, he wasn't exactly aware that he had told her off. The intensity of his gaze softened, "I'm sorry. Just a lot to take in right now."

"What's a lot?" She was completely clueless as to what had just transpired to make him so agitated, he was usually more calm and collected than this.

Glancing up again with a bit more irritation, he stood up quickly and stalked across the room to the small television perched precariously on his standing dresser, situated between his lamp and alarm clock. He flipped it on with a sigh. A slight hum filled the air as the static crackled just inches away from the front of the tube as lights emanated from within the device to display pictures and generate sound.

It wasn't until the current year that television was actually a worldwide phenomenon. The global signal interference generated from Sorceress Adel's space coffin denied any such recreational entertainment and most broadcasts were generally local and quite drab or informative in nature. With the events of the previous year and the dismantling of Adel's coffin, worldwide communications was now a possibility again. Timber was the first city to leap at the opportunity and within months had several competing news companies that broadcasted throughout the world, even to backwater towns like Winhill or isolated communities such as ones where the Shumi Tribe live.

They both watched the TV as a news anchor was tidying up her black hair, getting ready to what she thought was live television in two minutes. After a small communique from the sidelines, she stood flustered in front of the camera, completely embarrassed at having been seen prior to being properly ready for the telecast. Clearing her throat quickly, she pushed back a lock of her hair before raising the mic to her mouth. She gestured elaborately at the event unfolding behind her in front of the Garden. It appeared to be the event ceremony hosted not even an hour ago, Rinoa noted.

"We are live now at Balamb Garden on a historic occasion!" Her voice was light and crisp, an undertone of bubbliness. "What you see behind me is the previous…or is it current(?)…headmaster of Balamb Garden, Mr. Cid Kramer. Standing alongside him is the very handsome, er…commanding military leader of Garden, Squall Leonhart!"

The reporter practically blushed on camera. Rinoa sneaked a look at Squall to see his reaction to the woman's gushing but he just waved her back to the screen. "Just five months ago, the world was gripped in fear when Sorceress Edea promoted terror across the nation with the subjugation of the Galbadia militia as her primary fist of iron! The esteemed military academy of SeeD rose up to face this terrifying foe and defeated the Sorceress and her wicked plans!"

"Is she for real?" Rinoa chuckled as she gaped at the screen, her mind reeling at the terrible lack of knowledge the woman had of the actual events.

"Yes, she is." Squall intoned, his eye unwavering from the tube, "The rest of the world is not as informed as we are about the real actuality of the events surrounding Ultimecia and the true nature of our mission. Cid had said that it is best the world stay in denial of the truth. It is better they know little of what actually happened, it's simpler."

"Simpler? How can lying to the world be simpler?" Rinoa rebutted but was cut off with a grunt as he motioned to the television once more.

The reporter was rushing up to Cid Kramer with the obviously overweight camera man puffing along behind her. "Sir, before the rededication ceremony, can you please answer some questions for us, the Daily Timber?"

Adjusting his glasses casually, Cid turned congenially to the woman, "Well, of course!"

Elated to actually have him cooperate, she rustled up some crumpled papers between her hands, delicately trying to balance the mic in her grip, "Sir, with the renewal of SeeD's commitment to their purpose of a world wide security force against the Sorceress, how do you feel about the fact your wife was indeed the facilitator of the previous war?"

What was intended to be a damning question right out of the starting gate was met with amazing restraint. Cid seemed unfazed by her question and only beamed more at it. "Ma'am, my wife was possessed by a Sorceress from the future. Squall and his unfailing leadership decisions brought his team to victory and removed that Sorceress from power. There is not a single lick of magic left in my wife, Edea, at this present time and she poses no threat to the free world. Thank you for the question."

Clearly not the answer she was expecting, the woman blinked her eyes at the headmaster, unsure of where to go with her next sentence that she had cued up. She fumbled with the papers again, clearly attempting a reattack. Cid interlaced his fingers as he patiently waited for the reporter to recoup herself. "Um…Mr. Kramer. There have been rumors that a new Sorceress has taken up residence within Garden. Do you have anything to say against these claims, especially now that the true nature of SeeD and its mission has been revealed?"

Rinoa and Squall shared a look before turning back to the screen. They both knew the reporter was referring to her. Was it that much of a shock that she was living in Balamb? Cid unflappably dismissed the question as he did the first, "My dear…what was your name again?" She answered it for him, "Tammi, yes. My dear Tammi, the threat of the Sorceress is over now. The person who resides within Garden now is just someone who has retained the residual powers of magic and is learning to control it for the betterment of the world."

"Oh, he is a sly one." Rinoa commented, hearing how he deftly answered the question yet not answering it at all.

"Too sly. Keep watching." Squall urged.

"Mr. Kramer," The reporter insisted, "It is also true that every SeeD under your command is capable of wielding such magic. Is it a safe idea to let young men and women, teenagers really, have access to such power? Especially power that is so much like the Sorceresses they are trained to fight?"

It was quite clear that the reporter had an agenda and Cid was dodging all her shots, her flustered disposition was telling that he was getting to her with his responses. "Excellent question Tammi!" He boomed convivially, "First, I must correct you on one detail: Squall is the military leader of Garden and the young men and women you speak of are under his command, not mine. Second, I'm of a mind that you must fight fire with fire and by utilizing magic we are better equipped to combat any future Sorceresses that may happen to threaten our way of life. I trust these young men and women, teenagers really," he paused for emphasis, "with my life. I whole heartedly believe in the training they have endured."

The reporter stood flummoxed, stuttering over her words she began again, "Sir, if they are not under your command but Squall's, then why are you still headmaster?"

He winked at her before responding, "Ah Tammi, that is what I will be revealing shortly!"

With a polite excuse, Cid disentangled himself from the reporter and made his way up to the stage. The SeeD rededication ceremony was about to begin. Squall had made his way up there as well, sitting in a chair looking as disinterested as possible. He was not for the pomp and circumstance of the whole spectacle. Cid took his seat beside him as the primary speaker, Xu, got up to the podium and motioned for the crowd to settle down and take their seats. It seemed a glorious day today, the sun was beaming down on them from the cloudless sky.

Xu was an excellent speaker and provided the perfect spokeswoman for the academy. She no doubt acquired many admirers that day and prompted dozens of pubescent boys clamoring to sign up for SeeD just to be able to train and work alongside her. After the perfunctory speech, she introduced the headmaster who took the stand grandiosely. He gazed out among the crowd before readjusting his eye glasses and beginning his speech.

"Esteemed ladies and gentlemen of Galbadia, Balamb, Esthar, Dollet and outlying towns, I welcome you to Balamb Garden." As if on cue, the soft chimes from the illuminated bars high above them could be heard faintly on the wind. "I actually had a long speech to say here and I spent all night preparing for it but I'm going to put it to you plainly." A few murmurs whisked through the crowd at this. "SeeD is one of the best fighting forces the world has ever seen. I am proud to have once been the headmaster of the Balamb branch. However, a new world is dawning and we must look ahead to the future."

"What's he getting at?" Rinoa asked; her attention riveted on the TV.

"The threat of Sorceresses is more present now than ever before. We were attacked by one such Sorceress from the very future we are hoping to build. That Sorceress's name was Ultimecia." Shock thundered through the television set into Rinoa. She even saw Squall's head on stage swivel over to Cid standing confidently at the podium. Why was he so carelessly releasing details that would only confuse or possibly panic the populace? "With this knowledge in hand, we must refocus our efforts as SeeD to help rebuild the world left in the wake of her influence and continue our fight against her from now onto eternity. We will rededicate SeeD to the eradication of the Sorceresses and their powers and for such an endeavor headmasters are no longer required to helm these academies."

"Sir…I think that's…" Xu began to take a few steps to halt his wayward speech but was waved down by Cid with a firm hand.

"I see no better choice to lead these fine, young men and women into battle and in the reconstruction projects around the world than trained military leaders grown here in Garden. With that," He turned to the petrified Squall, his eyes now flaring at the dawning realization of where Cid was going with this, "I now introduce you to the new commanding leader of SeeD, Balamb branch, Squall Leonhart!"

A roar of applause nearly busted the speaker. Squall quickly shut off the TV. "Do you see?" He jabbed a finger at the offending blank screen, slowly cooling down from its transmission. "Why does he think I'm ready for this? This is the second time he's done this to me! There are plenty of people out there more qualified to run Garden but he gave it to me lock, stock and barrel. I am supreme manager for everything!"

Rinoa placed her arms around his neck as she leaned in close to calm his breathing, "How is this any different than what you did when he handed military reins over to you? You seemed well equipped for that."

He looked hard into her eyes, his irises screaming confusion. "That was different. That was more in line with what I was trained for. This is for the entire management of Garden. I wasn't trained for this!"

"But won't you be great at it when you are!" She giggled, embracing him with a deep kiss. His muscles relaxed as he invited it in, letting her warm lips meld into his.

He pulled back suddenly, "He implicated you as a threat. We are rededicating SeeD to hunt down Sorceresses and eliminate their powers. You do know you are the lone Sorceress in the world right now, right?"

She placed a finger to his lips, giving him a wry smile, "Shh…Only you and the rest of Balamb Garden know that. The rest of the world doesn't need to. Besides, with you at the helm of Garden, you can ensure I don't go crazy and bring me to heel whenever you want!" At this, she grabbed his rump and gave it a hard squeeze.

"Rinoa!" He yelped, a bit shocked at her forwardness. "What are you doing?"

Without a word, she surged in fast, pressing her lips hard against his, dipping her tongue in with the swiftness of a bird. With his resistance gone, she began to unbuckle his belts before leading him over to their small bed as she laid him out vigorously. It was a good day.

Rinoa's smile faded as her memory suddenly recalled the present. She regarded the now empty bed that she lay on, alone in the vastness of the headmaster's old room. Her mouth set itself into a line of determination. Cid was the cause of all this. If it weren't for him dumping the responsibility of Garden onto Squall, their relationship would have fared better. She was going to have to track that man down and have a long, serious talk with him.

A soft padding of paws startled her as she sat up quickly. A small mewing was heard from the corner as a small child-sized creature emerged from the shadows. It was a Moomba, covered in flaming red fur with tannish hues on its oversized paws and undersides. It looked at her with its vivid, blue eyes, idling scratching an itch behind its head, crowned with a spiked array of fur.

Her voice immediately softened, as if talking to a young animal or baby, "Hey there little guy. You've come here to help clean up?" She looked around at the rather untidy room. "You're a bit late today actually."

It stared at her with its pool-like eyes, moving its nostrils as it breathed in the air. Rinoa continued, "Shouldn't you be cleaning the room during the day when he's gone? Why are you here now?"

Ever since they returned to Balamb Garden, Selphie had a mind to bring lost or injured Moombas in and give them a home. In return for the room and board, they became dutiful house keepers, going about their day doing menial tasks throughout Garden; keeping the place clean and organized. Most times, students never even bothered to acknowledge their presence. Despite this, they seemed happy and were well treated by the staff. Some of the teachers, during the night, sometimes found themselves waking up with a sleeping Moomba, purring loudly next to them.

"Is something wrong?" She said, hesitating on the bed, unsure if she should get up and walk over to the statuesque Moomba.

After a moment, it blinked before wiping a paw on its face to scratch some naughty itch. With a single mew, it bounded over on all fours to the primary entrance of the room and slapped a paw on the side panel, opening the door. Rinoa was up like a shot and hurried over next to the Moomba. If it was one thing she learned during her travels with Squall and the others, it was to trust the instincts of the Moombas.

Moombas are the evolved forms of the Shumi, a race of beings that dwell in the northern reaches of Trabia. It is said that the most kind-hearted Shumi would metamorphose into a Moomba, its features and color of its fur being an outward expression of the type of heart and life that Shumi had led. It was rumored that in these evolved forms, Moombas had a keen sense of the supernatural and could tell if someone was wicked or not. However with their lack of speech, many folks considered this change to be a regression for the Shumi rather than a progression.

It pranced down the sterile hallway to the elevator, its tail whisking back and forth. Rinoa began to notice signs of movement and activity on multiple floors below her. Many students were huddled in groups, traveling to and from various corridors. Many had weapons on them and all were wearing their wristbands. Was there an alarm that she missed? Were they under attack?

"Okay! Okay! I'm coming!" Rinoa calmed the agitated Moomba who was hopping up and down by the elevator call button.

With a depress they waited patiently for the elevator to rise. It appeared multiple groups of students with a few graduated SeeD were navigating up and down the lone, central elevator which caused a delay for it to reach their level. After finally arriving, they rushed on before allowing the doors to close behind them.

As they were passing the floor beneath, Rinoa spotted Nida running towards the central command center. She quickly halted the elevator, rapidly pressing the door opening button as she kept an eye on Nida. A distressed whine alerted her to the Moomba gently but forcefully groping at her blue skirt. She firmly gripped its paw and took it off her clothes.

"Please understand," She said, looking straight into its imploring eyes, "I need to know what's going on. Wait for me here?" It stared at her forlornly as she turned to chase after Nida.

The command center door had already closed by the time she got there but Squall had her credentials already uploaded into the system. It was a simple matter of putting her thumb on the scanner beside the frame and it opened easily for her. She stepped in to the blue lit room. She beheld hordes of computer terminals lined up in neat, orderly rows. Multiple cadets were manning each station, either typing or clicking away furiously or listening in on their headsets. Beyond were several big screen TVs lining the far wall with maps of the world and various feeds from security cams stationed around Garden. The room was abuzz with activity.

She spied Xu and Nida down near the front talking with several seasoned SeeDs. They turned to her as she came closer. "Ah, Rinoa." Nida said, raking a hand through his thick mane. "We didn't really want to wake you for this but…"

Xu butted in abruptly, "We just got a communique from Squall from what are now the remnants of Trabia Garden." A look from Rinoa indicated that she had her full attention. "They were attacked by a group of assailants of unknown origin or powers. They lost their transport back to them and we are advised that they are enroute to Garden now under the guise of our truck carrier ship. We are preparing Garden to defend against the potential attack."

Straight and to the point, that was one thing Rinoa liked about Xu, she did not beat around the bush. "Is Squall okay? What about the others?" Although the impending attack loomed over everyone's mind, she was most concerned for Squall.

Nida chipped in, "They are fine, for now. They need to address their wounds but they should be back shortly once they secure a form of transport."

Although she knew it wasn't her place since she technically had no position within the overall military structure of Garden, she chanced asking anyway, "What are we doing to defend this place?"

Xu, knowing full well Rinoa's position, cordially filled her in. "Nida is to head the outer perimeter defenses. We are closing up all entrances into Garden. We are securing SeeD at each corner of the walls to help defend against projectile attacks. Junior classmen are to retreat to the interior and be bolstered by the student force within to provide a last means of defense. Several armed batteries have been reassembled from the armory to provide cover fire should the engagement make it past the perimeter walls."

Rinoa looked from Xu to Nida, "Is that all we have? Where are the rest of the SeeDs?"

"They are away on reconstruction missions." Nida informed; a look of slight despair on his face. "The bulk of our force is currently contracted out. The majority of our members are students in training and brand new junior classmen."

Xu shared a knowing look, "I understand your concern Rinoa but as current commanding officer of Garden, I have to work with what I have. I've already sent out transmissions to Galbadia Garden for assistance if they are able. It might be hours before we hear word back from them."

"Are these people really that big a threat to us?" Rinoa said, almost scoffing. She was a Sorceress! She could most likely handle them single handedly! She had been training every day to control her powers. How hard could it be?

Giving a stern look, Xu educated her, "Strong enough to take down the entire Trabia Garden with no one left alive and also strong enough to nearly wipe out Squall, Quistis, Selphie, Irvine and Zell."

"We just got the call not even 20 minutes ago." Nida explained, "It had already been several hours since they last saw the aggressors at the time of their transmission."

"That means they could be here within the hour if they traveled at top speed across the ocean." Xu finished Nida's thought for him.

Steeling her resolve, Rinoa clenched her fists tight. "What do you want me to do?"

"You? Nothing. You are to remain here in the command center." Xu firmly commanded.

Rinoa was appalled at the order. "I can fight too! I've fought alongside the best of you in the war! As a Sorceress, I have powers that can help kill these people!"

Rinoa spun on her heel and began to storm out of the room when Xu placed a strong hand on her arm and guided her back alongside her. Xu faced Nida before barking off, "See to it that the front gates are sealed and begin the rounds around the periphery."

"Yes Major!" Nida saluted before giving a polite nod to Rinoa and departing hastily towards the hall.

"What now?!" Rinoa snapped, obviously insulted that she was being coddled like this. Did they not know she fought alongside Squall against Ultimecia? She was even possessed twice by her! She understood danger and was not afraid of it.

Xu fixed a stare at her before whispering low, "There was another part of the message Squall imparted. I didn't feel it prudent to share with the rest of the student body or staff." Attention now secured, Rinoa leaned in to hear Xu better. "It appears these aggressors are gunning for the Sorceress and her powers. You, Rinoa. The safest place for you during this assault is most likely here in the heart of Garden." Before Rinoa could protest, Xu forged ahead, "Another aspect that Squall mentioned was that these people had the ability to counter our magic and our GFs."

Rinoa wasn't exactly sure what to say. This key piece of information was critical to their success yet Xu did not feel it necessary to share it with everyone else. Realization hit her like a freight train, "You don't believe we can win."

"I need everyone here in Garden believing we can win." Xu looked at a monitor and scrolled down a list of correspondences. "I've already sent messages out to the remaining teams still abroad to return home immediately. They are to drop all their current contracts and return to Garden for further orders."

"This would not look good for your business prospects." Rinoa reasoned.

Xu shook her head, "No it would not. However if what Squall says is true, Garden is in danger and by extension every single SeeD living here. My goal as current commander is to see that they all get through this alive, they are my responsibility."

Rinoa bowed her head in concurrence. Squall had entrusted her with the lives of these young men and women. Xu couldn't let him down.

"Can we not activate the propulsion system like we did before and physically move Garden to a better location?" Rinoa asked.

Xu's defeated look answered the question for her, "I've sent several teams down into the engineering levels to activate the system shortly after the warning but they may not make it in time before the first assault hits."

Making a firm decision, Rinoa dashed out of the room yelling back, "All the more reason for me to be out there supporting the cause!"

"No! Stop!" Xu shouted, trying to quickly press a button that would lock down the room however it slammed the doors shut just seconds after Rinoa departed. Xu cursed loudly, causing several computer techs to look over at her nervously. If she opened up those doors now, it could take up to an hour to get them reset for another lock down. She couldn't afford to open them now and Rinoa knew this! Blast that woman! She hadn't even told her the worst part about the message Squall imparted.

Rinoa staggered into the central elevator, miraculously available with an older SeeD cadet keeping it open for her. "Thanks!" She panted as she began to catch her breath.

"Have you heard the news?" One of the younger female classmen blurted out as they began to descend.

"No, what?" Her companion asked. It was clear they had just gotten on the elevator together just moments before Rinoa did. The older male who had held the doors for her chose to remain silent but he was definitely listening in.

Rinoa gazed out through the glass panes of the compartment as it lowered to the ground floor, watching scores of young classmen setting up blockades at key chokepoints around the central atrium. She only half-listened to the frightening gossip that was no doubt rampaging through Garden at this very moment, her mind was on the objective ahead.

"I heard from Kari that a ravaging SeeD destroying group a hundred strong destroyed all of Trabia Garden and that they killed our leader, Squall and are heading this way now!" The girl seemed half excited and horrified at the same time.

A gasp emerged from her companion, "Seriously?" A few tears began to form at the corners of her eyes. "Squall is gone? They…killed…?"

Rinoa's attention snapped back to the conversation, "Squall is not dead." She affirmed harshly. She caught each of their eyes in turn, making sure they were listening intently before continuing, "I just came from the command center personally and I talked with Xu. It was Squall himself that gave us the warning that these…people are heading our way. They have similar abilities as we do. They are nothing we haven't seen before. Do not be afraid."

She cringed inwardly at their relieved smiles. She hadn't wanted to lie to them but maybe Xu was right. There was underlining traces of fear in their faces and it would take but a single lick of bad news to crumble what little resolve they had left. Garden hadn't been without its protectors in a long time, the majority still living here were still training to become SeeD. The level of experience was severely lacking for this imminent siege. It was up to her and other upper classmen and SeeD to encourage and help guide these frightened kids into battle. She wondered, was this truly what they felt like they had signed up for?

Their expectant looks filled Rinoa with a sense of unease. They were regarding her as someone in a position of authority, a staff member of Garden. More importantly because of her public relationship with Squall, she was probably considered on an equal footing with him. Unsure of what she should do, she did the only thing she could think of: command them.

She pointed at the two girls, "You head to the lower level dormitories and ensure the junior classmen are bedded down tightly in there." They nodded their heads enthusiastically as they both darted out once the sliding doors opened. She faced the older boy, "You head to the quad and help man the gun turrets there. Don't let anyone through!"

"Yes ma'am!" He saluted before jogging around the curved path toward the exit leading to the central courtyard.

Since when did everyone consider her a SeeD? She wasn't one, yet they were scared. They knew she had fought alongside Squall and the others in the war against Ultimecia. She was just as good as any of them, yet she wasn't one of them. She was a Sorceress now, an enemy of SeeD yet cooperating with them. How complicated it had all become!

Shrugging off her dark thoughts, she hurried down the steps before noticing a blaze of red fur at the far edge of the lobby. It was silently beckoning to her with a paw to head for the garage. Did he want her to leave, now of all times? She began to turn away when she heard a quiet whine.

"I'm sorry little guy. I can't leave yet. Not when these people are depending on me." Rinoa apologized before ignoring the Moomba and sprinting out the main foyer entrance.

Stepping out into the chill night air, she scanned the upper walls surrounding the open yard. She identified at least eight SeeD stationed atop the outlying barrier, each one was quietly sifting through their armband menus to help find the proper magic to junction and utilize. Seeing Nida perched atop the main entry gate, now barred and secured, she jogged over before hiking herself up onto the upper ledge beside him.

He looked visibly startled as she sidled up next to him, swinging her legs over the edge of the wall, letting them dangle down. Was he always this jittery? "Hey Nida! How are you holding up?"

"You and Squall both…" He muttered softly to himself before swiftly changing tune, "I'm all right." He looked down at the slowly dwindling movements of preparation as people began to hunker down in their final positions of defense. "I'm more worried about them than myself honestly."

She followed his gaze and smiled, "They are strong, despite being children."

Nida laughed, "Not much younger than us!"

"Indeed. Teenagers we are." Rinoa grinned as she looked back out over the darkened plains, watching the winking lights of Balamb to the southwest along the coastline. They were no older than 19 and yet were expected to do great things. "Entrusted with the protection of the world!" She boasted, exaggerating it a bit by extending her hand to the grasslands before them.

"Seems kind of ridiculous when put that way." Nida jested.

Rinoa's smile dropped yet lingered at the edge of her lips, "It is true though. SeeD alone defeated Ultimecia last year. You are the supreme fighting force in the entire world. You can't imagine that wouldn't instigate some sort of jealousy among the military of the nations."

"Yeah." Nida mused, closing his eyes as a cool sea breeze blew through his hair. "Sometimes I feel like we live in a world apart. It is so different than where I used to be."

Curious, she cocked her head at him as she leaned forward a bit. "Used to be? Where were you before Balamb?"

He beamed at having someone finally interested in his history. "I was one of the many orphans that resulted from the first Sorceress war with Esthar and Sorceress Adel." Rinoa nodded, so was Squall and the others, all orphans from that terrible war. "I don't remember much about that time but I do know I was born in Esthar and then adopted and moved to Timber with my adoptive mother. We were happy there but I always felt angry that I had lost my real parents. I was seven then." A trace of resentment passed over his face.

"Why did you join SeeD?" Rinoa pressed.

"I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to stand out and fight back against the oppressive Sorceress regime but by the time I was into training, Adel had been secured in her space coffin and my chance of fighting the true war was gone." He sighed at the lost opportunity.

"We are still fighting the war Nida." She consoled, putting a warm arm around his shoulders. "Do you hold it against me that I have Adel's powers and am a Sorceress now?"

"No…of course not." He blushed slightly. "You're with us now…with Squall. Why should I hate you? Must be lucky being someone he trusts implicitly."

She chuckled, "It's not all sunshine and roses with Squall."

They both laughed at that before settling down for the night watch. They were all staring off towards Balamb, the one port where the ship would have to dock to make landfall on the island. Rinoa scrunched her brow as she saw several twinkling lights following each other in a column. Using her powers, she magnified her vision tenfold to get a better view. She inhaled loudly at the sight.

"What is it?" Nida said alarmed, getting up to his feet. "Is it the enemy?"

"No." Rinoa waved him down. "It looks like a small group of citizens from Balamb. They are carrying torches and guns." After a pause, "It is odd though, they seem to be rather…listless."

"Listless?" Nida queried.

"Yes…like they're not there yet they are…walking toward us. There is even a small camera crew." She noted as she spied two cameras being carried on shoulders. What were they doing?

"Should we sound the alarm?" Nida insisted, his hand already crackling with the signal to fire up into the air.

"I don't know." Rinoa admitted, returning her eyesight to normal.

Taking it as consent, he fired up a large flare into the air as it lit up the shadows across the quad, dancing its light across the tense faces of the junior and upper classmen. They all steeled their nerves as the signal meant the enemy was spotted and was inbound to their location. One of the younger girls pissed herself where she stood, she had barely been inducted into the training academy just the week prior. She wasn't prepared for any of this.

Silence descended upon Garden as all eyes and ears trained on the advancing column of lights. What was strange was that if it was a small mob of angry villagers, they were deathly quiet and showed no sign of hostility. They simply continued their march toward the front gates of Garden. At length they finally reached the threshold and were staring up at the defenders looking down. The camera crews were already filming, for what purpose or reason was unclear to Rinoa.

"What is it you want?" Rinoa called down. "Please turn around and go back to your homes. It is not safe here!"

The people stared up at her uncomprehendingly. Several shuffled their feet but none made any move to retreat. Surely they didn't need a show of force here? The intent was to avoid any casualties, be it their own members or civilians. What in the world was going on? They seriously did not need these people here right now with the threat of an unknown menace approaching ever closer.

She felt a surge of magical energy welling up beside her. Before she could do anything to stop him, Nida had hurled a flaming ball of Fire into their midst setting several people into raging conflagrations. Their wails began to rise up and reach the defenders within the quad. They spun and writhed, trying to put out the flames. Nida cued up another spell and unleashed Quake beneath their feet, causing several to slip into the miniature chasms that appeared before the ground restructured around their limbs, crushing them with the weight of the earth.

"Are you crazy?!" Rinoa screamed, swiftly Reflecting the next spell of Lightning which rebounded off into the ether, lighting up the night sky with its radiance.

If he had heard her, Nida gave no indication of it. His eyes were glazed and vacant as he raised his hand for yet another attack. Shocked and enraged at his sudden disobedience to orders, Rinoa unleashed a current of energy that swirled around her body before it gushed out in pulsing waves, knocking Nida to his knees. A pair of angelic wings sprouted forth from the painted ones on the back of her blouse, flapping coolly behind her yet visibly unattached to her physical body, a manifestation of her Sorceress powers.

Although knowing she technically had no authority over any of them, especially not a graduated SeeD such as Nida, she ordered him firmly, "Stand down Nida, now!"

He precipitously flouted her as he readied another spell, its energies dancing across his fingertips. With a flare of her wings and a glint in her eye, Rinoa tackled him off the wall before landing atop of him with a thud, the wind knocked clear out of him. Another warning flare went up above their heads as another look out pointed towards the eastern coastline. A small convoy had been spotted that looked quite similar to the tactical vehicles they employ.

Impossible! There was no way they could have made landfall on the eastern end of the island due to the sheer cliff face and jagged rocks along the shoreline. Not unless…they used magic to Float the vehicles off the waters and onto the bluff but that would take several skilled users of the art to accomplish! Then what was the point of the civilians at the front gates? Were they just a diversion? None of this made sense!

"Initiate the shield!" A SeeD shouted as each perimeter guard extended their arms and generated a powerful Shell around Balamb Garden, descending down from the apex of the structure to the surrounding wall.

Rinoa attempted to reinforce the barrier with her own magic when a soft clinking of metal directed her attention back to Nida who had already recovered and was getting back up to a knee. He had pulled out several Kunai from the stock that lined his belt and was flexing them between his fingers. She faced him formally and readied herself for the battle. She subtly shook her head as if to silently persuade him to relent. He did not have to do this.

"Nida! Stop this!" She trilled as she violently rose each hand up to bat away each Kunai with her force of power. They clinked off the pavement or various standing benches that lined the main path. He began to flank her as he pulled more blades from his belt before tossing them with deadly accuracy. If it were not for her powers and heightened sense of reaction, she would have been skewered several times over; he was an adept marksman of the throwing blade.

The first blasts of magic struck the shield as strobes of light thundered across its surface, causing several of the younger classmen to shriek. Glistening beads of sweat began to form on the temples of the defenders upholding the Shell. More pulses struck the barrier as a particularly bad one smacked it with enough force that the entire ground shook. Rinoa paused briefly to look up to see Meteors raining from above but ineffectually hitting the aura and dissipating with a tumultuous racket.

She knew that whatever had gotten into Nida wasn't going to go away. She needed to put him down immediately. They could question him later why he acted out of control. Taking the offensive, she clutched the hurtling Kunai in midair before flinging them back with excessive energy. They pierced through his legs and arms, throwing him back several feet from the force of the impacts. She paced up to him, groaning on the ground, clutching his bleeding wounds.

"Please yield Nida." She said firmly, yet with a trace of compassion. "I don't know what got into you but you are not helping. I will see to it you are taken to the infirmary for recovery."

She signaled two trembling cadets over to carry him. They knelt down to gather his arms and legs to cradle carry him into the center facility when he roughly shook their assistance off. He gawked at Rinoa with his empty eyes, his expression devoid of emotion. With a singular sensation filling the atmosphere around them, Rinoa realized he was summoning a Guardian Force into existence.

"Nida! No!" The wave of energy vented outward from his summoning as a circle of pavement began to broil and thrash as it melted from the intense heat generated just meters below the surface. The two cadets looked on in terror as Rinoa witnessed two clawed hands breach the molten liquid and bring the rest of the horned creature into view. Nida had summoned Ifrit, the Guardian Force of Fire.

It stretched its limbs as it hovered inches above the ground, surveying its surroundings. The two cadets screeched before running away deep into the recesses of Garden, it was most likely their first encounter with a Guardian Force and it was terrifying. Rinoa never gave much thought to how unique it was that teenagers such as they were able to junction, summon and control such great beasts of terrible power, it was just something that SeeD did.

Sensing the focus of Nida's threat being her, Ifrit immediately turned on Rinoa and began hurling massive balls of flame from its hands. It roared in fury as it futilely raked its claws at her. She twirled and dodged, deflecting flames as best she could away from those standing around her. Materializing a sword of Holy light in her hands, she began to do battle with the powerful Guardian Force. Within moments they were flying through the air, swirling and banking as each tried to outwit the other.

Errant balls of flame from Ifrit began to strike the Shell barrier from the inside. Several cracks were visible throughout the surface as more Meteors and even Ultima blasts rocked the very foundations of Garden. Where in the world did this enemy acquire such powerful magic and in such vast quantities?

A cry went up on the southern edge as two SeeD members arbitrarily dropped their portion of the shield. They each hopped down to the ground and began striking back into their comrades. Confusion spread throughout the ranks as many were unsure of what was going on. Had the enemy already breached the outer wall? Was that why they were attacks inside the academy grounds? Immediately the turrets started firing indiscriminately into the crowd, mowing down men and women alike.

With the loss of two members, the shield could not hold. The Shell wavered before it disappeared completely. Numerous Meteors began raining down in earnest as they struck various barricades and turrets, several cadets getting no more than a scream in before being crushed under the weight of the otherworldly rocks.

Rinoa had to divide her attention between striking back at Ifrit who was adamant at chasing her throughout the sky and slicing Meteors from above in half to give those below a better chance at survival. She began to despair once she saw the ballooning cloud of green, heralding another Ultima spell at the entrance. Were the civilians there all dead now?

Ultima collided with the front gates, blasting them clear open. Huge chunks of concrete, metal and rock flew into the air before raining down like deadly daggers of death. Anarchy detonated in the courtyard as many abandoned their posts. The upper classman and full-fledged SeeD continued to hold their ground but it was clear they were unsure of who to attack. A group of strangers in red Estharian jumpsuits stormed the rubble as several members of their own units pressed the attack on their classmates. It was pandemonium.

A short man with long gun barrels for arms regarded the Guardian Force circling above, engaged in a heated battle with a winged woman. He pointed one arm at the Guardian Force before saying one word, "Bang." Ifrit immediately clutched his chest as if it had suffered an acute heart attack. It bellowed in agony as it contorted and bent inward onto itself before exploding into a gust of flames. The concussive shockwave pitched the winged woman clear over the outer wall.

Nida lurched over, completely lost in the maelstrom of unintelligible thoughts. He couldn't understand why he was lost, adrift in the chaos erupting around him. What was this place? He stared up just as a big man with a silver arm plowed it straight through his chest. What an odd feeling, to be impaled upon a man's arm. He looked down blankly at the metallic appendage as it ripped bone and flesh apart. His last vision was that of his heart being removed from his body, beating the last pulses of blood from its broken vessel. He collapsed.

"Loramel! I got another one for you!" The big man guffawed as he tossed the fresh heart over to the woman.

"A present for me? You shouldn't have!" She swooned, catching it deftly before taking a huge bite, licking her lips as she moaned at its exquisite taste.

"Not now!" A tall man ordered, his arm casually resting on the pommel of his gunblade hanging from his waist.

"You're such a sour sport Malthius." She grimaced as she let the remainder drop to the ground.

"Our goal is the Sorceress." Malthius grinned sadistically, "The eradication of the entire population is just a bonus!"

"You want me? Come have me!" Rinoa thundered as she plowed right into him. She flapped her wings furiously as she crashed Malthius into the formidable glass wall of the imposing central spire, causing multiple fracture lines to appear. With a burst of Aero, he pushed her away aggressively as he leapt to the earth, firing several bursts from his gunblade.

She cartwheeled through the air before accelerating her momentum with Tornado as she rammed into him again. Bouncing him several times off the ground, scraping off skin and muscle, she kicked and bit him. He wrapped his leg around hers before twisting in an arcing motion, throwing her off of him, sending her skidding across the yard before slamming up against a gun turret.

Wounded but not undone, she unleashed several Ice spears before flinging them at Malthius. She flipped over the sandbag berm and straddled the gun before unleashing a concentrated volley at the wretched man. Alarmingly, it appeared the wounds on his back were swiftly healed and he was walking straight towards her, completely oblivious to the metal shrapnel pummeling through his body. For each wound that opened, another closed up fully healed.

Within seconds he was upon her, his hand around her neck, lifting her up off the ground with her legs kicking fruitlessly in the air. He chuckled before mocking, "You didn't obviously think we didn't come prepared do you?" She gurgled a response but he tightened his grip on her throat. "It looks like we didn't have to look far to find you. That should make things much easier."

Loramel slithered up next to Malthius, giving Rinoa a disdainful look, "We'll head into the command center and see if they have the information we are looking for. Of the three branches, Balamb is the one with the closest ties to Esthar."

Malthius nodded his head before dismissing her to run the trivial errand. Before his attention came back to her, Rinoa smacked him full in the face with Meltdown before blowing a hole through his chest with a focused burst of Flare. He dropped her immediately grasping his chest as the interior burning continued to spread throughout his body.

"You filthy wretch!" He snarled, rising up to strike her.

She sidestepped the awkward lunge as she materialized her sword again to strike him down. A stray flash of magic clipped her arm forcing her to drop the sword as she swerved around to see a fellow SeeD bearing down on her, his hand upturned and readying another spell. What the hell was going on? Why were SeeDs attacking her? Her ears perked up as her heightened senses detected several bullets inbound. She erected a shield to repel them as several more cadets joined in the battle, all centered around her.

"What are you doing?!" She yelled.

No answers were forthcoming as they continued the assault. Inconceivably, Malthius stood up to his full height, now recovered from what should have been a fatal blow. "You see, my dear Sorceress, each of us were given specific gifts during the many years of experimentation done to us; each one uniquely suited to the person and all beneficial in bringing down our ultimate prey, the Sorceress. Mine...was the power of regeneration."

Her eyes opened wide as he broke through her shield effortlessly by piercing it through with his gunblade. He surged in before covering her face with a cloth drenched with foul smelling liquid. She breathed it in once and was gone. The last sound she heard was his vile laughter.

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:** _Given how little we have experienced Rinoa, I wanted to write this chapter from her point of view. We left Final Fantasy VIII with Rinoa as the remaining sorceress in the world, living among people who are supposed to be enemies of the Sorceress, whose sole purpose is to eradicate those like her. I wanted to delve deeper into the political ramifications of that and show how the outside world would view such a relationship. Sure the game left Squall and Rinoa on a happy note, but the entire consequences of what happened after the fact never gets fully explored. So I am hinting at the current social climate in the world and the larger role it'll play in the story as it progresses. The remainder of the chapter of course deals with how unprepared SeeD is as a whole for this new threat. We saw the aftermath of what happened at Trabia, now we see it occurring in real time with Balamb. We also finally see the unique nature of Malthius here and how he fits in with his powers with the other four villains. I also sprinkled across the chapter little tidbits of information and foreshadowing for greater events to come._


	6. Chapter 6 - Following Crumbs

Their hearts soared briefly at the sight of Balamb Garden still intact on the horizon, the sun barely cresting over the mountains beyond the fire cavern, the initial training grounds for many a SeeD cadet. Their exuberant spirits flagged once they saw the columns of smoke slowly drifting into the air. Squall and the others had just arrived in the early hours of dawn, having commandeered a convertible boat turned land rover, a pretty ingenious vehicle that sadly only had one iteration in the garage of Trabia. Although there was relief at seeing their home again after the nightmarish ordeal the previous day, fear gripped them as their thoughts turned to what they would find once they reached it.

They drove across the plains in silence, each of them thinking of the worst possible scenarios. Quistis was worried about Xu, Nida and the rest of the junior classmen as well as Garden staff. Irvine and Selphie were concerned about their new friends they had acquired during their transfer to Balamb Garden and instatement as Garden faculty. Even though he'd never admit it publicly, Zell was also apprehensive about Xu and wondered how she was faring. Squall had thoughts only for Rinoa.

As they pulled up the road to the front gates, which looked more like a pile of disfigured rubble and twisted metal, Selphie spotted a black limousine parked a few hundred meters off the road. Quistis recognized it immediately to be Cid Kramer's official vehicle. Angry for reasons Squall couldn't identify at that present time, he threw the door open and hopped out of the rover before it had fully stopped, his feet stumbling slightly as he quickly caught his balance and began tromping toward Cid who was standing calmly outside the passenger door of the car.

"What the hell happened here? Were you even here when it happened?" Words flew out of Squall's mouth before he got within range of Cid. His anger, although misdirected, was justified in the fear of what he would find.

Leaning back on the car before crossing his arms, Cid breathed a heavy sigh. "I'm afraid not. I had just arrived not even an hour ago. A telecommunication summons by Garden was received early this morning at the homestead by Edea. She relayed it to me while I was on business in Timber. Since I was still effectively in the local area, I headed here to investigate what the problem was." He gestured to the smoking pyres just visible through the broken gates and smashed holes in the outer wall. "I came here to find this. I was unwilling to venture in further until more help arrived. I do care about my well being too."

Squall glared at him for that selfish remark. Although precautions would have been taken, he wouldn't have thought twice about going into that chaos to save his friends. The man he had come to know growing up in Garden was not the same man who stood before him today or maybe it was that he actually never knew who the real Cid was to begin with.

Ignoring the insensitive comment, Squall grilled him, "Are there any survivors?"

Quistis and the others finally disembarked from the parked vehicle and had already made their way over as Cid began his answer, "I've seen no movement since I arrived."

"Well let's go in and find them!" Zell urged, taking several purposeful steps towards the entrance, his fingers flexing, looking for a fight.

Cid stopped him, "Zell, stand down." He refocused his hawk-like gaze back on Squall. "I know this can be a lot to take in, the fog of war usually is. I fumbled around myself when I was first headmaster over Garden." He walked up to Squall and placed a single finger on his chest, "You need to stop thinking with this and start thinking like the military man we have trained you to be. I handed Garden over to you because I believed in your talents and your level-headedness. Prove me right by your actions as a SeeD."

As much as Squall hated to admit it, Cid was absolutely right. His concern for his friends, for Rinoa, outweighed his common sense in assessing and approaching the situation rationally. Their encounter with the five unknown assailants in Trabia shook them to the core. Everything they had trained for was undone in the span of a single battle. They had never faced an enemy quite like this, an enemy that seemingly had a counter for everything they were able to do. He needed to step back and think about his next step objectively. To think like the military mind Cid wanted him to have.

"Quistis." Squall motioned her over. "Please check the back storage compartment of the vehicle and see if there is a heart scanner."

"Of course!" She bowed her head in agreement of the sound idea. This device would surely tell them if there were still people left alive in the interior of the quad and potentially deeper. She rushed off back to the rover and opened the back window before leaning in to rummage around the numerous boxes and plastic tubs of contained oil.

She came back with a small rectangular device that had a handle on each side to grip onto with a green monitor screen on the backside with which to observe the scans the device would produce. Squall took the device with a nod and aimed it toward Garden before flipping the toggle switch on. The screen lit up in an array of green lines as the contour of the rubble before them was traced onto the display.

"Oh! There's one…and another!" Selphie exclaimed, pointing excitedly at the monitor as several red blips pierced through the green scan lines.

She was right, there seemed to be several people still alive yet they were much deeper in the structure. There were no signs of life in the outer quad or the attached facilities containing the infirmary, dorms or cafeteria. It appeared all had retreated to the central training building and were holed up further down into the ground. Their heart rates were not elevated which was a good sign, it meant that they were not actively fighting or under threat of death.

Flicking the switch off with his thumb, he handed the device back to Quistis as he turned to Cid. "It appears there are survivors but they are deep inside Garden. I cannot detect any signs of combat at this time."

"Then I dare say it is safe to enter." Cid said dryly, unveiling a handgun from his belt clip and advancing toward the smashed gates.

With weapons drawn, they all stepped forward quietly, their eyes and ears alert for anything amiss in case the heart monitor had failed to pick up additional enemies. Zell looked off towards the cafeteria, its façade still intact with only minor scorch marks splayed across its front.

"I wonder if Xu survived this." Zell thought aloud. He glowered and swiftly looked away as he saw Selphie and Irvine look over at him and smile. "Shut up." He snapped.

Squall observed several deep depressions in the pavement where someone had been slammed into the ground with great force multiple times, like a stone skipping across water. He also noticed evidence of several Guardian Force summonings, no doubt lost to them as well. He suddenly began to scratch his healed nose, violently trying to claw at the itch just under the freshly restored skin.

Quistis chided him, "Don't scratch, it'll make the Regen itch worse. I don't know why you didn't just let me heal that nasty scar on your nose as well. I could have done so easily."

Bereft of his hands, he moved his nose on its own in a vain attempt to try and resolve the itch. "I said no Quistis. I thank you for fixing my nose but I'd rather keep the scar. It reminds me of how little I knew of combat and how much more I need to improve with my gunblade. I would not remove that reminder for anything. Besides…"

"…Rinoa likes it." Quistis finished for him, stifling a laugh as he gave her a look.

"Whatever." He intoned as he pushed forward to the darkened frame leading into the central atrium.

"Oh no!" Selphie shouted, a tone of shocked urgency in her voice. "I just found Nida! Get over here!"

They had all run up to her as they saw Irvine investigating the corpse. He was gently prodding the open wound in Nida's chest with the tip of his barrel. Rigor mortis had already set in with the stiffness of his limbs. A glazed look of confusion was still on his face. Quistis had to look away briefly to avoid bile from forming in her mouth.

Selphie was tilting her head this way and that, hoping to get a better angle of view with the light shining over the walls of Garden. "Geez, what do you think killed him?"

"Please," Quistis hiccupped, trying to contain the inevitable. "Show a bit more respect for your comrade."

Selphie's curious expression deflated at her words, "I'm sorry. I didn't really know Nida that well."

"I don't think any of us did, babe." Irvine chipped in, standing now having finished his examination. "What killed him was no weapon that I know of. Honestly? I think the wound looks more like a wild animal ripped into his chest and removed his heart."

Quistis burped and quickly spat out a rather nasty mess. It was one thing to enter the battlefield and behold multitudes of faceless corpses of people you didn't know or care about than to come back to just one whom you have known for years. Zell cracked his neck audibly as he looked around at the droves of strewn bodies surrounding them, all of them SeeD.

"We need to bury them and notify their families." Zell insisted.

"Not yet." Cid interjected, pointing towards the atrium inside, "We still need to accomplish our mission of finding the missing survivors."

Squall nodded in assent. "I'm aggrieved too over Nida's death. He was a good guy and deserves a proper burial but we have no time to mourn for him or anyone else right now. Come on people, let's move."

Depressed at the stark reality of the situation they entered the foyer quietly, splitting up at the elevator to circle around the main pillar leading up to the floors above. At length, they each reported back negative on the findings of any survivors. Squall motioned everyone onto the elevator. The heart blips observed on the scanner indicated that anyone left alive was hiding out below in the MD levels of Garden. After Zell filed into the elevator last, Squall shuffled among his headmaster keys stuffed into his back pocket before inserting one into the control panel and unlocking the deeper floors which were normally off limits to everyone but Garden staff.

The ground floor rose up above their heads as they listlessly stared at the passing concrete around them, broken only by the occasional light fixture. They were descending into the depths of Garden where the inner mechanical workings were a mystery to even Squall and Cid. Garden had once been an Estharian built shelter before being repurposed as a SeeD training academy. Many of its functions were still unknown to Squall. It was only last year that they discovered it had a levitation system that allowed Garden to uproot itself and move freely across both land and water.

They funneled out the elevator doors as it reached the bottom floor. The mass subterranean underground of Garden was a mess of vents, pipes and grated catwalks over inexplicable machinery that they could barely fathom what its purpose was. Surmising that any remaining survivors would lock themselves in behind the grand, bulkhead door that led deeper into the structure leading to the levitation initiation device; Squall made a beeline straight for the imposing silver vault door.

"It's locked." Squall remarked, visibly relieved. "Looks like some people made it here okay."

"Others weren't so lucky." Irvine noted as he pointed out several misshapen carcasses strewn across the catwalk, one even bent over backwards on the railing, body completely charred.

After searching for some sort of panel, handle or switch to open the bulkhead, Selphie cried out. "How are we going to get in? There is no way in!"

"We can't." Squall said flatly. "This portion was meant to be used as a shelter. A place to retreat to for safety, it can only be locked or opened from the inside."

Zell rapped on the door with his knuckles, the sound was absorbed across its metallic surface. "So how are we going to get word in to them that it is safe to come out?"

Quistis pointed to a lone camera angled straight at them off to the side of the door, seemingly installed recently. "You obviously haven't been down here lately have you?"

"Why would we?" Selphie exclaimed. "This place is creepy!"

Quistis continued, "They have a video feed linked to that camera there to see who is approaching the door. I bet they are watching us right now."

As if on cue, a huge thud reverberated throughout the open cavernous space as the grinding of gears could be heard within the massive vault. A rather willowy figure peeked around the corner of the massive bulkhead, his red hair flashing in the dim light. His eyes bulged at seeing them before running deep into Quistis's arms. She looked positively shocked at this sudden display of emotion and contact, especially coming from a SeeD she wasn't particularly familiar with.

"Oh thank Hyne you are here!" The youth sobbed, tears saturating the front of Quistis's coat. "It was awful!"

Cid cleared his throat loudly, "Get ahold of yourself. You are a SeeD."

Realizing his place, the youth backed up brusquely from Quistis, apologizing for his forwardness of contact. He nervously ruffled his red hair, trying not to be too fidgety around his commander, Squall.

"What's your name son?" Cid said in a consoling voice.

"Sanders, sir. Carl Sanders." He said tersely, saluting and standing up at attention.

"I remember you now." Quistis interposed, crossing her arms as she pointed a finger at him. "You were part of the four teams recalled from Esthar last week."

"Yes ma'am! I actually got back into Garden proper about three days ago and then last night happened." It seemed like he wanted to say more but was reluctant.

"How many other survivors are with you?" Zell probed; a certain wistfulness in his tone. Selphie gave him yet another knowing look but he summarily ignored it.

Rolling his eyes, Squall turned from Selphie back to Carl. "What we need to know is if the reigning commander, Xu, survived. Is she with you?"

"Yes sir!" He snapped to attention again.

"You can stop that." Squall muttered.

"Yes…sir!" He tried unsuccessfully to remain casual before beckoning them through the massive doorframe.

It was worse than they feared. Strewn along the bare wall were cots filled with injured cadets and SeeD. Several medics who were proficient at healing magic were hovering over the wounded, sweat upon their brows as they strenuously utilized the last reserves of their draw pools to mend and Regen lacerations and broken bones. Dr. Kadowaki, the resident head doctor was there, flitting from cot to cot to assess each patient. Several more bodies were lined up on the ground on the opposite side of the room with blankets covering them.

"Squall!" A voice from behind a group of huddled students rang out.

"Xu!" Squall and the others quickly made their way around the muddled mess of bodies before dismissing the small group that had congregated around her. "Please report what happened here."

"Squall, stop. Look." Quistis cautioned, causing Squall to take a step back and get a good look at Xu.

Her clothes had been singed and carried the stains of soot across its length. She was cradling her left arm gingerly and seemed to favor one leg over the other. Several visible bruises were apparent on her face with a complimenting puffy eye. Give what they had seen at Trabia Garden and the enemy they were up against, he wasn't surprised at what had happened to her. Without a word, they understood she had forgone magic treatment in favor of having the underclassmen and younger students treated first.

"Let me help darling." Irvine offered graciously. "I have some Cures and Regen left to help patch you up."

Catching the scathing glare from Selphie, Quistis stepped in to alleviate a potential squabble. "I can assist as well. I drew enough back in Trabia to be of some assistance."

Xu gratefully accepted the help as she shakily sat down in the metal chair beside her. She looked up at Squall, a weak but proud smile on her lips as Quistis and Irvine got to work on her injuries. "You should have seen them Squall. They fought like demons yet our students attacked like lions! The few of us who are left here wouldn't have survived if it weren't for the determined group of upper classmen and staff defending us." Xu wasn't elaborating either. They scanned the small group of survivors. There couldn't have been more than maybe 30 students left.

"Where's Rinoa?" Squall pressured, his mind solely focused on a single purpose.

Xu's smile faded as she motioned for Quistis to move aside as she leaned over the desk alongside her and clicked a few keys on the keyboard. The monitors arranged in a circular pattern along the wall above her lit up with prerecorded video feeds. Images of the tall man, Malthius, and Rinoa flashed before their eyes. A pitched battle raged between the two of them before she was attacked and brought down by their fellow SeeD.

"Dammit!" Squall shouted as he slammed a hand on the desk, making Xu jump a little. "Did we have planted traitors in our midst as well?"

She nodded at his rising anger, "Nida was the first."

Quistis pursed her lips but said nothing as Selphie gasped. "Nida? But he was so nice! He was Garden staff and always tried his best to cater to the underclassmen and make friends with them."

"I saw it with my own eyes on the TVs in the control room." Xu explained. "There was a civilian camera crew embedded in a group of civilians from Balamb. At first Rinoa tried to ward them off and send them home but then Nida just went crazy and started attacking the people."

Cid's brow furrowed as he leaned forward. "Did you say camera crews?" Xu bowed her head affirmatively. Cid gripped the bridge of his glasses firmly, "Oh…this is not good at all."

"What's wrong chief?" Irvine piped up, half focusing on Xu's discolored ankle.

"I'm not entirely certain but I can guess the coming storm that will result from this." He waved for Xu to continue. "Go on with the rest of your report."

"Yes sir." She took a deep, ragged breath before beginning again, "Rinoa tried to stop Nida from killing any more civilians but he turned his weapons and magic onto her." She faltered slightly at the murderous look from Squall. She wondered if thoughts of desecrating Nida's corpse had crossed his mind. "Suddenly more SeeD had abandoned their posts and dropped the shield, allowing the enemy inside. After that, the battle had all been but lost for the exterior quad."

"Did you see where they had taken Rinoa?" Squall pressed, his fist grinding the dust on the desktop.

Xu shook her head, "I'm sorry Squall. I did not. It was at this point that several aggressors entered into Garden proper along with several turned classmen and began assaulting the central atrium. They made their way to the control room where we had a magic shield erected but they blew through that like nothing."

"How did you manage to escape?" Zell inquired; his eyes just as intense as Squall's.

"At great cost." Xu said haltingly, giving Zell a curious look. She paused a few moments, as if remembering the people who had lost their lives in that skirmish. "Regardless, they were not after us but what was in our data servers. Although they killed indiscriminately, they were very careful to not harm the electrical equipment or computers in the command center. They even took some jets from the hangar."

Cid rubbed his chin, "So they came here primarily for information?"

"I believe so." Xu affirmed, sighing deeply as the rejuvenating magic from Irvine and Quistis began to take effect and flow through her body.

"I don't believe that." Squall seethed, waving a hand to dismiss the notion. "Even if they were here for information, that couldn't have been their primary goal."

Quistis, satisfied with her work on Xu's arm, leaned back on her haunches before looking up at Squall. "I agree with you. Although it seems the most obvious purpose was to eliminate Balamb Garden just as they did with Trabia, there had to be other objectives at play here because they were unsuccessful yet they still left. They had to have come for the data we had in the local Garden net. Rinoa is missing too and could have also been another objective of theirs."

"And that camera crew?" Selphie asked.

"The one that Nida killed?" Zell shot back.

"No. That one." She pointed at a corner monitor that was stuttering due to the damaged camera that was feeding it signal. Hanging out by the gate were several white vans with garishly painted logos on their sides of various news agencies. A few people were already getting out and milling around the debris at the front entrance, unsure if they should proceed any deeper.

Squall's frustration was apparent as he exhaled loudly at the new distraction. After a few moments of thought, he pointed swiftly to Selphie and Zell. "I need you two to come with me to the command center and figure out what data, if any, they stole or erased." He swiveled his gaze onto Irvine. "You have the most stored curative magic than all of us combined. Please help Dr. Kadowaki and the rest of the medics tend to the wounded." Irvine tipped his cap before pushing himself up off his knees and walking over to the cutest nurse asking where he could help. "And Quistis…" He glanced back at the monitor displaying the news crews. "Deal with that."

Cid raised a finger, "I'll accompany her as well. I think a more experienced mind in the presence of the public would do well to help support our story that they'll no doubt be asking of us."

"Fine." Squall agreed indifferently. "Move out."

* * *

The day had just begun to heat up as the sun shone down on the grisly scene before them. Cid had accompanied Quistis outside and was busily giving out instructions to the remaining SeeD that had been charged to follow them. Their overall goal was to gather the scattered bodies strewn throughout Garden and assemble them alongside the central facility to identify and document the casualties so they could later contact any family, if any existed, of their deaths.

It was painstaking work and the smell was atrocious. Quistis advised everyone to put on surgical masks to keep a lot of the stench out but it did little to stifle the putrid odor. One queasy girl doubled over and wretched after team lifting a single body to the corpse line up. Several classmates attended her back inside when it was clear she would be of no more use. Even Quistis herself had to pause to collect her stomach, especially when it came time to move Nida to the rising body count.

The camera crews were impatiently waiting at what was left of the front gates. Cid had sent a messenger to them that they would be happy to answer any and all questions that they had but only after they tended to their fallen. It wasn't well received however it appeared they had little choice in the matter and agreed to remain outside Garden walls. Several of the cameramen tried to film the body clean up before being shut down by their corresponding reporters.

After heaving the last remaining bodies onto the ground, Quistis wiped her brow before turning to Cid, "I find it unsettling that Nida, of all people, would commit such insubordinate actions and hand Garden over to the enemy."

Cid adjusted his glasses before nodding his head, "I agree. Him and every other SeeD that turned on Xu this morning. My only hunch is that there must be some connection between them all. It might be nothing but it is still worth looking into."

She stared off at the news crews still perched outside the wall, "Maybe…maybe there was something in their files…in their past that we missed when accepting them into the academy and trained them to be SeeD."

He grunted, "We weren't really that thorough when accepting applicants into Garden. If you remember, you were one of but a couple hundred orphans we took in from the first Sorceress War and split up between the three Garden branches. Since we were still such a budding academy, we were ill prepared for the mass influx of bodies and it was only over time that we got some semblance of order and inventory for our students."

"Inventory?" Quistis laughed, thinking it crazy to find humor at a time like this. "What were we? Products? Goods?"

She may have found it funny but Cid was not laughing. He lowered his voice to a whisper to ensure nearby observers wouldn't be able to hear, "To put it bluntly, yes. Edea had received a vision many years ago of Ultimecia and that one day she would found an academy that would fight her. In that vision was a user of the gunblade which I am convinced now was Squall." Quistis stared at him incredulously but he continued unperturbed. "It was our duty to train you for one purpose alone. You were bred to be warriors under the leadership of Squall against the Sorceress. There was always a reason I chose him and he proved me right."

"Sir? I find it hard to believe we were 'bred' like cattle for that. We were trained individually and earned our place within SeeD based on our merits alone." She hissed.

He raised both hands up to stem her rising frustration, "Look, I don't mean to upset you. The truth of the matter is that we were training every orphan and willing person who applied in the hopes of finding the one youth who would take up the gunblade. It was to my delight when two users came forward after years of waiting."

"Seifer and Squall…" She murmured distantly, her eyes un-focusing as she gazed off at nothing.

Stepping a few paces away, bringing Quistis with him as several men brought out blankets to drape over the line of bodies, Cid waggled a finger at her. "Exactly! I just didn't know who would be the one to take up the mantle of being the one Edea saw. I watched them closely as they developed and trained. Once Seifer threw in his lot with Ultimecia, who had possessed my wife at that time, I had little choice but to designate Squall as the leader. He has not proven me wrong yet. You were all trained to support him."

Crossing her arms, she gave him a stern look, "Sir, I don't have a problem serving under Squall as second in command. I don't mind taking orders from him either. I do, however, take offense to the notion that we are nothing but pawns in a game where our only usefulness is to be expendable for the greater good and support of him. We mutually respect each other as SeeD and that is why he has chosen us, his friends, to be his wingmen and why we follow him."

"I didn't say it was the correct way of handling things." Cid admitted with a look of regret, "Norg was the financial backer for the whole project and he viewed it as a business prospect and you were all assets. I was looking at it from a different point of view. Neither one was ideal. Over time, I grew to admire, know and trust each one of you. I was not the greatest headmaster over a Garden but I feel like I matured a bit into the role over time."

Satisfied that he was willing to admit his wrongs, Quistis cued in on the name he mentioned. "Whatever happened to Norg? We confronted him last year over the command of Garden but after we defeated him he simply retreated into a cocoon and disappeared. His pod still lies empty and dismantled in the depths of the MD levels."

"I haven't a clue honestly. Ever since I turned military control over to Squall, I have not seen him or been contacted." He said shaking his head. He peered over at the reporters, steeling them with a steady gaze. "Regardless, with the important task done, shall we take care of this small matter?"

"Yes, let's!" Quistis smirked.

The two of them stalked over to the civilian newspersons with a determined look in their eyes. Several jabs in the ribs or slaps on shoulders ensued as they finally noticed them heading in their direction. Within moments, the cameras were already up and rolling with the various news anchors scrabbling through their notepads with mics hovering by their mouths. The tumult of voices assailed their ears the moment they stopped just paces from them, each one shouting to be heard above the others with their microphones being held out at arm's length hoping for some sliver of juicy information.

"Why were Balamb citizens attacked last night? Are you not supposed to protect them?" Asked one angry woman.

"Rumors are that there is a Sorceress who lives within Garden, can you confirm this? Was she behind the attack?" Another woman grilled.

"Is this some secret plot to steal our children and train them for war to overthrow governments?" A righteous sounding man blurted out.

"Is Squall Leonhart fit to lead such a robust and ambitious academy such as SeeD? He is barely an adult!" A third woman exclaimed.

Multitudes of more questions were shouted into the air but Quistis only cued in on the last one. "Let me set one thing straight to you. Squall is a qualified leader. Trained here in Balamb and tested extensively out in the field. He has demonstrated exemplary conduct both on and off the battlefield. I would follow him to the end if given the choice."

"Then why did he allow this tragedy to happen and let 23 civilians die this morning just outside your very doorstep? Killed by members of your own retinue no less!" The first woman glared at Quistis, daring her to dodge this volley.

Quistis scowled at the obnoxious woman before answering, "Both Squall and I, among others, were off on a mission to the north. We were not present at the time of this incident. Although he established a temporary commander while he was away, he could not have done much directly to prevent this."

A pugnacious man scoffed, "Then where is that temporary commander now? Why aren't they out here to answer these questions? The world needs to know!"

Cid interjected firmly, "Xu is a paradigm of discipline, tactical knowledge and skill. She would not allow this to happen if she had the power and resources to prevent it. She is not with us here today due to her injuries in the attack this morning. She is being treated at-"

"Attack?" A fourth reporter snorted, talking over Cid. "It was to my understanding it was instigated by the SeeD members themselves, annihilating a small band of peaceful protesters."

"That is untrue." Quistis refuted, crossing her arms like she so often did when she got agitated. "We have actual footage of the events that transpired this morning, we-" Cid began to cut her off quickly but it was too late, the reporters jumped on that tidbit like a pack of ravenous wolves.

"Where is this footage?" They began crying out in unison. A short, angry looking man stepped to the front, waggling his microphone at them. "If it will prove SeeD's innocence then it must certainly be handed over so all blame can be cast aside from Garden."

Cid placed a hand before Quistis to pull her back and to inform her that he would handle this. Smiling genuinely at the abhorrent gaggle of newscasters, he adjusted his glasses slowly. "My fine ladies and gentlemen, yes, what Quistis said was true. We do have security camera footage of the event that transpired this morning. However, we have not had the time to review it ourselves to determine the root cause of the conflict. Until such time we can identify the perpetrators of this horrible catastrophe so that we can bring them to justice, we will be unable to reveal the footage at this time."

More inquiries were blurted out as Quistis perked up at one specific question that made her blood run cold. "Mr. Kramer! Were you aware that there is a planned execution in Timber with your so-called Sorceress?"

"Excuse me?" Quistis fumed, her patience reaching its limit with these idiotic people.

Cid calmly waved her down once more, he was in his element. "Not until you just mentioned it ma'am. Thank you for that new piece of information. If what you said is indeed true, we will dispatch a team of well-trained SeeD to investigate the matter and deal with the situation as seems fitting. No further questions." He gave them all a nod before turning on his heel and bringing the boiling Quistis alongside him as they walked back to the central quad.

"Ugh!" She roared. "Since when did people get to be so…so…"

"Stupid?" He chuckled as he glanced back at the furious reporters. "Squall is certainly rubbing off on you."

"He is not!" Quistis remarked affronted.

"His newfound temper sure is." He grinned.

"Whatever!" Quistis spouted before realizing what she had said. "Don't even say it sir!" He practically cackled at her.

Their mirth having died down, he turned his head again to regard the people standing outside the gates. Perceiving that they weren't going to get anything further from the former Headmaster, the news crews began packing up their equipment into the vans. They would have to make do with what they got. "It is as I feared." He muttered. "Someone is controlling not just members within our own ranks but outside of Garden too."

Quistis gaped at him skeptically, "You think the 'protesters' last night were under the same spell as those who turned on us within Garden?"

Cid scratched his chin, "I'm still not sure if this is magic or not. From what I saw on the monitors with Xu and what we've learned here with the reporters, it is not a farfetched notion to think both parties are connected somehow. Someone is trying to tear SeeD apart from both fronts."

She huffed before pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, spying a young female cadet running up to them. "It is not like we are universally liked throughout the world but I'd like to believe we've done enough good that we at least have some sort of moderate support from each country that we take contracts in."

He nodded sagely, "I agree." Before discussing the matter further, he turned to the young girl who had just reached them. "Yes my dear, what is it?"

The brunette puffed a few times to catch her breath before addressing them, "Colonel Quistis, people are cleaning up the area and we have found many of the celebration event decorations and props still intact. Do we dismantle them for needed materials?"

She looked over at the central courtyard and saw the limply hanging Ultimecia doll, still tied to the stake that was to be burned on the night the festival was to kick off. "Yes, please take all of it down. Use what you can and discard the rest."

"If I may." Cid intervened, giving an imploring look at Quistis, "I suggest you keep that mannequin hanging there. It is a good reminder of who the real enemy is."

Flustered at the sudden role reversal as the young cadet saluted enthusiastically before bounding off to complete her task, Quistis regarded the old headmaster. She couldn't be terribly made at him since he had far more experience than she but she was curious as to his true reasoning. "Sir? Is that all?"

"Of course!" He beamed. "Whoever these new villains are that are seemingly working behind the scenes are simply just another obstacle that SeeD must overcome. However our ultimate purpose," He pointed a finger in the direction of the lifeless figure, "is her and the safety of the entire world from her. We must never let ourselves forget that." Satisfied with his logic he motioned with his head for her to follow him back inside the central facility. "Come Ms. Trepe, we need to inform Squall of some vital information that he would find great interest in."

"Yes, of course sir!" She said distantly, her mouth taut as her thoughts wandered to what could be happening with Rinoa.

* * *

"What the hell is this?" Squall raged, banging a fist down on the console, no doubt smashing a few buttons to inoperability.

Ahead of them on the massive screens were multiple newscasts, some were already broadcasting the interview that was happening right outside their very walls with Cid and Quistis. However the one Squall was most concerned with was in Timber. A shaky camera was fumbling down the street alongside a procession that had several men in uniform dragging a long, bulky chain that connected to a pair of steel handcuffs around Rinoa's wrists. Every so often, they'd yank the chain to jerk her off her feet or make her stumble.

What incensed Squall's wrath was the chanting of the crowd around her. Although the militia was keeping the throng at bay, it didn't stop them from throwing tomatoes and other wet, disgusting pieces of food scraps at her. One had thrown an egg directly at her head and nailed Rinoa in the face. She flinched but kept walking, trying hard not to show her weakness by crying in front of the mob. All this was being videotaped to the constant droning of 'SeeD witch! SeeD witch! SeeD witch!"

"This is horrible!" Selphie gasped, holding a hand to her mouth. "Poor Rinoa! Why doesn't she do anything?"

"Just what do they think they are doing?" Zell cursed. He was just as furious as Squall. She was his friend too and he wouldn't tolerate anyone messing with his friends. "We oughta go over there and teach them all a lesson of what happens when you mess with SeeD!"

Squall ground his teeth violently but held his tongue. As much as he'd like to agree with Zell and rampage into Timber with magic blazing, his better judgement told him to hold fast. "It would not help our reputation if we were to do that. We need to think this over carefully. Rinoa probably realizes that too and that's probably why she is not fighting back."

"And that is a very wise decision!" Cid concurred as he and Quistis stepped through the opened door into the control room. "It seems you already discovered the news we had just come here to tell you about."

Squall grunted as he paced over to the nearest terminal, "We had just finished examining the student records when that newscast came on. We were right in assuming there was a connection between each of the SeeDs that turned."

"They were all from Esthar!" Selphie divulged; excited to be revealing something useful.

He frowned at her for leaping into his report. She apologized hastily before stepping back to become suddenly interested in the monitors across the room. Secure that she was not going to interrupt again, he continued, "As Selphie revealed they were all born on the Estharian continent. Each of them were orphans resulting from the first Sorceress War."

Cid leaned back against the terminal as he considered this. "I knew Sorceress Adel was a tyrant but I had no idea they would massacre their own people in search of Ellone."

Ellone was like an older sister to Squall, Quistis, Selphie, Zell, Irvine and even Seifer. She was an orphan like them following the events of that war and was being raised in the very same orphanage as they were, run by Matron Edea Kramer with her husband, Cid Kramer. Ellone was the eldest of them all and was constantly being hunted by Adel and through her Ultimecia for her unique power of time travel.

Time travel was a rather simplistic way to describe her powers. It wasn't even technically magic in the purest sense. She had the ability to send someone's consciousness back into the past to relive events from a previous time through people she had met in her life. She could not send someone into the body of a person she had not met. It was this power that had driven her into hiding and now brought her back to Esthar under the protective umbrella of President Laguna, a sort of adoptive father to her now.

Ultimecia's plan was to eliminate time itself and compress it to just one single moment, one single dimension in which only she could live alone and unchallenged. Dr. Odine of Esthar had created a machine in the future that duplicated Ellone's power but it did not reach back far enough in time for Ultimecia to work her time compression. She needed both Ellone and a Sorceress to possess from the past after using the machine to go further back and initiate the compression there.

After a daring ploy to eliminate Sorceress Adel and have her pass her powers onto Rinoa, combined with the powers passed from Edea Kramer, it made Rinoa the only Sorceress left to possess. Utilizing both her and Ellone, they sent Ultimecia to the past to initiate time compression. They had a very limited amount of time before the spell was complete to navigate the corridors of time to the future where Ultimecia lived and defeat her in the time period she existed in. It was a risk to all of creation but they succeeded and all had seemed well as time decompressed back to its original state.

The mere mention of her name brought all these memories back and the gravity of the events that had transpired. This new menace was enabled by the same war that was caused by the search for Ellone. What was their connection to Esthar though? How were all of these 'planted' traitors being activated at the same time and through what means? Was Ellone still a key piece of the puzzle here too? So many questions with so few answers.

"So is that the link we're looking for?" Zell prodded.

Quistis tapped her cheek in thought, "It coincides with where these missing teams began to start occurring. This threat originated in Esthar. We encountered these strange people who could wield magic like we can as well as drain it from us. They can further destroy any GF we summon against them too." She quickly rewound and watched the security footage of several upperclassmen rolling into Garden alongside the aggressors. "And now we have SeeD and other people turning into obedient zombies for them to use against us. All signs point to Esthar."

Eavesdropping in, Selphie timidly offered, "Do you think President Laguna is behind this?"

"No way!" Zell shouted, swinging a fist through the air. "He's on our side. Why would he do something like this?"

Cid muttered in agreement, "Zell has a point. I don't see President Laguna being this bloodthirsty. It not only doesn't fit his objectives as President of Esthar but it would look bad on him if it were ever traced back to him. I don't think he would chance that."

"Either way," Squall began, indicating the primary monitor feed, "We have Rinoa to save first." Something in the video caught his eye. "Zell, turn the volume up please."

Zell leaped at the order and turned a dial on the panel before them. The male reporter's voice could be heard clearly in the command room. "It appears they are moving the witch now to a more secure location before her execution tomorrow morning." The man put a hand to his ear, as if listening to a voice speaking to him. "I just got word that a special team of private investigators has been called in by the mayor of Timber to interrogate the witch and discover her link to Garden."

"It's them!" Zell frothed, jabbing a finger at the car pulling up behind the news anchor. From the side of the vehicle stepped Malthius, his gun blade conspicuously absent. Alongside him was Loramel with what looked like civilian clothes and trench coats. They were attempting to look the part to appease the crowd and not reveal their true natures.

Another news channel was mentioning something further about Rinoa. The woman was boisterous, almost exuberant at the news she was reporting. "The identity of the Sorceress is Rinoa Heartily, daughter of Galbaldia's General Caraway. In a statement earlier this hour, he is demanding her release and is promising war should they proceed through with the execution. More news to follow."

"This is bad!" Selphie moaned. "It's like we leave for one night and the entire world is falling apart!"

Startling them all, the command phone began ringing. Cid immediately picked it up and began listening. "Ah yes, headmaster Martine…yes, I've seen the news."

"Why did they ever let that loon become headmaster again of Galbadia Garden?" Zell grumbled under his breath.

Cid flipped a hand up to silence the side-talk. "Yes…have you contacted General Caraway yet? Have they made any movement? I see…" Everyone was deathly silent as they tried to crane their ears towards that phone receiver, hoping to snag some nugget of information. "Do you have any teams set up for a rescue op? What do you mean evacuating? Okay…thank you Martine. We'll cover it over here then."

With a soft click, he put the phone back down. Everyone was staring at him. "What did he say?" Squall questioned.

"As you know, since President Vinzer Deling of Galbadia was killed last year by Ultimecia, General Caraway was shooed into the office by default. He has ordered martial law on Galbadia and is massing troops in preparation to march on Timber. Dollet has expressed retaliation should Galbadia attack Timber." He informed them gravely.

"What about our SeeD teams in Galbadia? Are they still there? Are they safe?" Quistis asked apprehensively.

Cid shook his head, "They were escorted out and all contracts dropped prior to these events. They are inbound to our Garden now." Everyone was visibly comforted at this news but Cid had more. "There is no rescue operation being attempted to liberate Rinoa from Timber. Galbadia Garden is currently being overrun at this moment like we were. Martine called us merely as a courtesy than anything else."

"So soon?" Zell stood agape. "They just got done trashing our place just this morning!"

Selphie tapped his shoulder, "I do recall Xu mentioning a few jets from the hangar were missing."

Squall summed it all up for them, "Everyone listen! There is no doubt in my mind this is a calculated attack on SeeD. The first incident was in Esthar. It has been almost a whole month since then. Whoever they are, they've been planning this for weeks. They hit us hard and fast and they have resources and/or assets we know little about. The biggest being the fact they can eliminate our GFs."

Squall tapped the control screen a few times to find the video he wanted before sending it to display on the nearest monitor. Before them was Nida summoning from the ground a fiery, dark skinned demon with horns. "I know that is a GF. There is no mistaking that's a summon that Nida performed. However, I cannot for the life of me recall what its name is or its powers. Can any of you?" Everyone shook their head. "See? They know exactly how to cripple us and render us ineffective as a fighting force. We are fighting for our very survival now. Until further notice, Garden is at code Delta and we are on complete lock down."

"So what about saving Rinoa?" Selphie mumbled, crestfallen that things weren't looking so hot for them.

With a determined glint in his eye, he rounded on her with the authority of a born leader, "We are still rescuing her. She may not be SeeD but she is still one of us."

"That's right!" Zell crowed, fist pumping into the air.

"We need to head back to the medic ward and grab Irvine and any able bodied SeeD who is willing to accompany us to Timber for the rescue op." Squall ordered.

"You won't get far with how advanced Timber has come along since the days of transmission interference." Cid pointed out. "Crime used to be a big problem in Timber shortly after the dismantling of all the resistance movements there. With no common purpose or goal many couldn't find jobs and had no homes so they resorted to felonious activities. Many cameras and other recording devices were set up all over the place to monitor for such things and assist in apprehending them. I just came from there and I've no doubt my mug was plastered all over their security stations during my stay. They'd identify you and report you from a mile away."

"We split into two teams then." Quistis suggested as all eyes turned to her. "We all go undercover with one team heading for the main TV power station to shut it down. That'll dismantle all communications within the city which will free up movement for the second team who will attend the execution and save Rinoa."

"That sounds like an awesome plan!" Selphie praised ecstatically.

"That's more people in harm's way." Squall commented.

"That is true." Cid noted. "However, if you are truly set on going through with this mission, there isn't really much I can do to dissuade you. As commander you have the authority to make that call. As for me, I'll be returning back to my home on the Centra continent. I will confer with Edea and see if there is anything she can do through her connections to help assist you."

Squall bowed his head at the offer, "Thank you sir."

He raised a hand, "Please Squall, I no longer hold that title. Just call me Cid." With a tip of a finger off his brow, he turned toward the door to leave. "Good luck to you all and may Hyne keep you."

Squall stared off after Cid's departure a few moments before turning to the others. "Head down to the medic ward and start assembling the two teams. Quistis, I put you in charge of the selection process. Zell, I need you to secure us two vehicles to get us across the pond to Dollet. We will be making landfall there and traveling south secretly to Timber. Selphie, I need you to inventory and inspect all the aircraft in the hanger to ensure they are good and ready to go for follow on operations. Understood?"

They all confirmed their orders before rushing out the door towards the elevator. Quistis placed a delicate hand on Squall's shoulder for a brief moment before following the others out. Even just that small gesture from her was enough for Squall to let him know that he was secure in the knowledge that they'd have his back. They would do everything in their power to get Rinoa back. If this was indeed a new conflict involving Rinoa as the Sorceress, then they needed her back with them on their side. They needed her powers to help turn the tide of this covert war.

Squall manipulated the playback controls and reviewed the scene with Rinoa being dragged down the street and Malthius stepping out of the special forces car. He kept rewinding it over and over, burning the image of that man into his mind. Was she safe? Was she at least being treated decently? Were they forcing her to do things she didn't want to? Who were these people and where did they get their powers? He had more questions than he had answers to but he knew he'd get to the bottom of this if it was the last thing he did.

He focused his attention on her face. Fear simmering just beneath the surface yet her outward defiance shone at those who mocked and ridiculed her. His heart swelled at the thought of her inner resolve and the courage to continue to stand up to the overwhelming prejudice rallied against her. Was this what she was trying to explain earlier? Did Ultimecia feel the exact thing she was experiencing now? To be hated and feared…what an awful fate.

"I'm coming for you Rinoa." Squall whispered.

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:** _This was an extremely difficult chapter to write. There were a bunch of plot points I was trying to juggle and allude to here and ensure the reader had a grip or handle on each point so that moving forward there would be little confusion as to why certain events were transpiring. As much as I wanted to take this 'cool down' chapter to expand upon certain character development arcs, there was simply too much plot exposition I needed to get out to the reader that I couldn't take the opportunity to set aside a page or two for a single character without it slowing down the forward pace of the story. In the end, several characters (like Irvine) got shafted a bit in this chapter but will get more fleshing out in later chapters. There was an off the cuff remark from Zell on Disc 1 of Final Fantasy VIII about a lot of people resenting SeeD. I wanted to bring that aspect of their world to better light in this chapter and the role it'll play in future chapters. And yes, I didn't forget about the 'data' the villains stole from Garden's databanks, I just haven't revealed it yet!_


	7. Chapter 7 - Playful Deceit

"Do you really think President Laguna is behind these attacks?" Selphie said pensively, glancing out the port window as waves rushed past their boat transport.

"I'm not really sure what to think." Squall admitted, studying the dated maps of Timber's business district. He had Quistis dive into the remaining archives in the library that weren't burned to search for anything that would assist them in the planning of their rescue operation. She had discovered quite a few convenient maps depicting exactly the city quarters they were interested in.

"It is best not to think about such matters yet until we finish the mission at hand." Quistis reminded, sitting down beside Selphie before handing her a cup of water which she took gratefully.

"Colonel Quistis is right." Xu agreed, nodding her head gingerly, still massaging the neck muscles underneath trying to ease the pain from her earlier injuries. "We'll speculate and investigate the matter in Esthar regarding this enemy after we secure Rinoa."

They all nodded as they settled into their seats around the center table with the maps splayed out across it. Xu had felt well enough after the healing that she insisted she accompany them this time. Squall was hard pressed to argue with her, she was adamant. Alongside her were several young SeeD graduates who had either barely completed training or were hot off their first contract that wasn't even remotely combat related.

Xu scanned the faces around her before beginning the mission brief. To her left standing was Commander Squall, arms crossed and distant, as usual. Beside him sitting down were Quistis, Selphie and Irvine all in a row. Opposite her across the table were the new members, Carl Sanders, Frejya Jones and Toby Graham. To her right was Zell, lounging comfortably on his two-seater, one leg propped up over the arm rest, looking nonchalant and trying his best not to appear enamored with her despite the recent rejection of his affections. She shrugged off her thoughts about him before diving into the briefing, a task she quite enjoyed prior to any mission.

"For the benefit of our younger members," Xu gestured briefly to the three sitting across from her, "I will be reviewing all the events that have led up to this mission. We received a contract from an unknown sender from Trabia Garden early yesterday morning. Upon further investigation it was revealed that the entire Garden and the local town of Trabia were eradicated by a group of assailants with powers quite similar to ours. This helped link the missing team anomalies that originated in Esthar as some of you might have heard while residing there." She gave a pointed look toward Carl as he gingerly scratched the back of his head. He knew he was the last person on shift before the unfortunate deaths of Malita and Terrance who had taken over for him.

"However," she continued, "it was a ruse and drew Garden leadership away from Balamb which gave the enemy an opportunity to strike and steal both classified data from our network and Rinoa whom they recently declared her execution date for tomorrow morning. We are not sure how they are able to secure allies and coerce or force SeeD members to cooperate with them but it is clear they have an entire network at their disposal to drawn upon. It should come as no surprise now that the government of Timber is fully supporting their position in their attack on Garden and the future death of Sorceress Rinoa."

"What about the top secret data they stole? Do we know what it was they were after?" Frejya blurted, her nervousness getting the better of her. She was safely tucked away on a reconstruction mission in Dollet when she was recalled to Balamb. The thought of her first combat mission approaching rattled her nerves.

Xu glanced over at Quistis for direction as she gave a probing look to Squall. He waved a hand dismissively, "They are just as involved in this mission as the rest of us are. They are SeeD. They have a right to know what was lost."

Bowing her head at his decision, Quistis took over the briefing, "Although our primary objective for this mission is to get Rinoa back into our custody, we are looking at investigating Esthar after this to discover what this group's ultimate goal is. The data they stole was on the Lunatic Pandora which has since been moved to the Centra continent and is currently being dismantled so that it may never again be used as a means to instigate and direct the Lunar Cry. They took all records of this unique structure and deleted all traces of it from our network. We will look into this further when we've had time to recoup."

Toby piped up bravely, "The Lunatic Pandora? If it calls down more monsters, we just fight them off like we easily can do right?"

"That is not the topic of discussion here." Quistis chastised, causing Toby to flinch back into his seat. "We would rather prevent a Lunar Cry from happening again than deal with its aftermath. A Cry can destroy an entire city populace upon impact, we know the danger it poses. However right now our immediately threat is these Estharian villains. Abducting the only known Sorceress in the world with intent to kill her is our chief concern."

"Can't she just use her magic to get herself out of this situation?" Carl reasoned, he thought it was a logical solution.

"She would have done that already." Zell quipped, rolling his eyes.

"Zell's right, slick." Irvine jumped in, leaning forward on the butt of his rifle, ignoring the glower from Toby at his flippant pet name for him. "If she was in a situation that she could easily escape from with her Sorceress powers, she would have done so. There must be something or some power these people possess that we are not aware of that is preventing her from doing so."

"The Rinoa I know wouldn't willingly allow herself to be executed like this." Squall said determinedly.

"She did give herself up to the Esthar authorities to be put into a space coffin once she learned she had her powers." Selphie chipped in.

"Not the point!" Squall rebuked. He thrust a pointed hand towards Xu. "Please continue with the briefing. No more interruptions!" They hadn't the heart to refuse him after his commanding tone faded from within the cabin. They sat in silence as all eyes turned to Xu.

Slightly flustered at her commander's change in demeanor, Xu straightened out her SeeD blouse before resuming. "The operation will commence at dawn's early light. We will land on the waterfront of Dollet. We should be safe since war has not been declared and we have no quarrels with that Dukedom. We will disembark and secure a vehicle that I've arranged ahead of time to be there and travel south under the cover of night to Timber. We'll also have civilian clothes we can change into as well. Once there we will split up into three groups instead of two like we had proposed earlier."

She spread out the paperweights on the map to smooth out the curled edges. Toby looked on inquiringly, "We don't have holographic maps of Timber?"

Xu blinked at him, "No, we do not. They needed to have been loaded into the transport before we left Balamb but they were deleted along with the majority of our database."

"Oh." Toby hunched down, feeling a bit foolish for such a silly question.

Undeterred, she pointed down at three different locations, "This central square just south of the primary train station is where we believe they'll be hosting the execution for Rinoa. It seems a defensible position for the enemy and is able to hold a large crowd which we expect will be there tomorrow morning." She traced her fingers towards a rather large building square, "This is the TV station that broadcasts to the entire continent and receives video feeds from the cameras strewn throughout the city. Thanks to Headmaster Cid for offering us locations of a few of them." She pointed at last to a smaller building just northwest of the TV station, "This is the radio station. They broadcast audio to outer continents that cannot yet receive the video feed from Timber."

"The first team will consist of Squall, Quistis and Zell. They will be attending the execution and awaiting our signal of complete coverage blackout before launching the rescue operation. The second team will consist of Selphie, Irvine and Toby. You three will be handling the TV station and high-jacking the broadcast and ensuring that we can slip into the main square undetected. Since the station also has a good view of the square, Irvine will be perched to snipe those holding Rinoa. Frejya, Carl and I will be hitting up the radio station where we will ensure any and all signals do not get out of Timber. Given the amount of network we've seen these people have, we do not want news of this operation to leak out of Timber and alert other potential enemy cells."

"This will be a dangerous mission." Squall advised, standing up to his full height to bring emphasis to his words. He stared them all down; making sure each had eye contact with him. "Regardless if their true intention is to kill Rinoa or not, leaving a known Sorceress in the hands of the enemy is a dangerous proposition. We must get her back and death is an acceptable cost to see this mission completed."

Selphie gasped. She never expected Squall to so freely say their lives were expendable for any mission. He turned to her and explained, "I understand your shock but know this: our mission is to defeat the Sorceress. It is what SeeD was founded for. Thankfully we have Rinoa who is on our side and thus not a threat to the world. However we cannot allow the enemy to gain control of her or take her powers from her, thus creating a new Sorceress we must fight."

"Every Sorceress must pass on her powers before they die." Irvine muttered.

"Precisely!" Squall snapped his fingers. "They have a female in their group and I wouldn't be surprised if she is the intended recipient of Rinoa's powers. This is why we must get her back," he hesitated slightly, enough to the point where Quistis glanced over at him concerned, "regardless of my feelings on the matter." He finished.

"Now that we all understand the severity of this mission, we must give it our all even if it takes our lives. The fate of the world and the fundamental purpose of SeeD depend on us." Quistis encouraged, clenching a fist.

"No pressure, huh?" Carl huffed, looking despondent. Why was he chosen again to be on this mission?

Xu leaned into the front cockpit and checked the autopilot, she turned around to the rest of them, "We will be coming up on Dollet within a few minutes. Everyone secure your weapons and junction your GFs and magic." She raised a finger, "Remember: do not summon any GFs in battle with these people. You will lose them and become incapacitated as a result and be useless to us. It took several hours for Zell's memory to come back when he summoned his GF against them. Everyone into position!"

Frejya gulped as she and the others got up from the central map table and proceeded to the opposite walls of the cabin to the seats bordering the sides. Each of them took the dual seatbelt clips from the wall and crossed them over their chests into the buckles at the base of the seat cushions. Firmly secured, they looked at each other in silence from across the cabin as the waves buffeted the transport, rocking them slightly to and fro.

They all looked so calm and unwavering, Squall and the other commanding officers looking relaxed in their seats, cleaning their weapons or sifting through their armbands for the proper magic to junction to their abilities. Even Zell was whistling a rather annoying tune as he flexed his hands, making sure his fist guards were snug on his knuckles.

She looked down feeling like a fish out of water and fiddled with the string on her bow, elegantly crafted from Estharian metal with wing-like flourishes on the ends with a soft, blue light humming through its frame. The inner mechanisms of the bow propelled the arrows fired at a velocity far greater than humanly possible with just string tension alone. Beside it was a quiver of arrows with heads of varying uses. Her favorites were the exploding tips and the nerve gas releasers.

She glanced over at her peers to see Toby stroking his metal staff, ensuring that all devices on it worked. At a simple press of a button, he could elongate its length or shorten it as the situation called for and he could produce deadly metal spikes at the tips for additional hurt. He was a skilled martial artist, if not a bit cocky. He shook his raggedly black hair extravagantly as he noticed her looking at him. She swiftly darted her eyes away as he ogled her. He was an endless flirt and everyone knew he pined for her.

Beyond him was Carl Sanders, his flaming, red hair dulled in the moody lighting of the transport. He was one of the initial teams recalled from Esthar when the first SeeDs went missing there. He was at ground zero of these mysterious occurrences and he was a bit shaken from it. However it did not seem to dampen his spirits and he had a look of resolve on his face as he adjusted the length of chain on his sickle. He had chosen an odd weapon where it was a jagged metal scythe at the end of a retractable chain-link cord that could be stowed into the hollow, wooden hilt. Frejya was in awe when she last saw him training with it, seeing him flow through the movements as if slicing through water.

"Brace for impact!" Xu shouted from the cockpit as they all gripped their seats and weapons.

With a shuddering jolt, the inertia of the vessel slamming onto the beachhead swung them sideways before righting themselves. Toby's neck felt sore after the misaligned belt dug into his skin from the movement. Everyone quickly unbuckled and prepared to step out the main bay door that Xu was slowly lowering onto the sand. With a loud crunch of sand, they all proceeded off the platform and onto the beach.

Squall scanned the environs as he spied several observers atop the elevated streets overlooking the waterfront. As far as he could tell, they were civilians and posed no threat. Some were pointing and even getting out their phones to take pictures of the newly arrived SeeDs. Ignoring the nuisance, he pivoted to Quistis, "Take Xu and procure our transport. I will gather everyone together and make way for the Shumi Shack."

Quistis smirked at the name, "Yes sir!" She signaled for Xu's attention as they jogged off up the stairs to street level before running down the sidewalk, turning down a side street and disappearing.

"Everyone listen up!" Squall barked, thrusting his gunblade into the sand before resting his hands on its pommel. Everyone gathered around him as Zell scanned the rooftops for potential snipers. Irvine appeared busy aiming his gun sights at the soaring seagulls further down the beach but leaving one ear attentive to Squall's instructions. "Selphie, lock up the transport so it is coded to your thumbprint so it does not get stolen like it did in Trabia."

"You got it boss!" She giggled as she gave him a thumbs-up. She zipped off to close the bay door.

"The rest of you, we will hunker down in the Shumi Shack until Quistis and Xu arrive with our transport. It is a bar of low-profile that we can take refuge in and not attract more attention to ourselves than necessary. Follow me on my lead." With a nod, he flipped the gunblade up out of the sand before lodging it in its sheathe by his side.

Ignoring the mutters and whispers from the gathering crowd, they filed up the stairs and across the vacant street lined with parked cars to the cobblestone sidewalks on the opposite side. Street lamps spaced at intervals lit the way as they traveled down the darkened buildings. The unique architecture of Dollet was that everything was primarily made of either brick and mortar or metal and steel, giving off the air of sleek opulence; a façade for the militaristic underpinnings within the city. The Dollet Dukedom was once a powerful player in world events before the advent of the first Sorceress War and Galbadia rising to power in the southwest.

Jarringly opening the door and slipping inside, the hub of the establishment died down as all eyes went to the young SeeD mercenaries. After a few moments of looking them over, the few patrons got back to their drinks and greased food. Sidling up to the counter itself, each SeeD took a barstool for themselves as the barkeep strode up beside Squall, whom he identified correctly as the leader of the group.

"May I get anything for you or your team today?" He offered with false cheerfulness, promptly wiping down some freshly washed glasses and laying them out on the bar in a row.

Squall waved a hand, "Not today, thank you." He didn't even look at the man, his eyes watching through the bay window out towards the road.

"Very well young masters." The man bowed before being hailed by another customer at the end.

The air in the bar was thick. Carl wanted to chat a bit with Frejya or Toby but got the feeling that now wasn't the time. He would catch certain patrons looking up from their meals at them with curious and sometimes suspicious eyes. There was something not quite right with the atmosphere of the people here in Dollet. He began to feel like they were not welcome here but no one was outright saying it. He idly rubbed the tip of his boot on the floorboards, watching the pattern of dirt shift with his foot. Toby coughed, doing little else but grip his staff and lean on it for support as he tried to get a few moments of shut-eye.

Upon seeing Quistis pull up in a pick-up truck, Squall motioned for the others to file on outside and into the vehicle. Squall hopped in the front with Xu driving, forcing Quistis to take the squished middle seat between the two. She gave a brief smile of displeasure to Squall before buckling her new seatbelt in the center. The rest piled on in the back of the pick-up before shutting the back flap and securing it. With a pound on the back window from Zell, they were off down the street.

They had just rounded the bend of the final exterior street leading them out of town when Selphie pointed out an unusual structure high up on the mountain overlooking the town with the colossal satellite dish perched atop it. "Frejya, your last contract was here in Dollet right? What is that on the slope there?" She pointed at a spot about several dozen meters down from the top of the bluff where one could see two unusual metal bay doors, the ones that don't open manually by hand.

Frejya was jolted out of her reverie and looked up to where Selphie was pointing. "Those? I'm not entirely sure. They wouldn't let us get near the communications facility or that mountain in general, saying it was off limits."

"Off limits?" Irvine inquired, pausing the cleaning of his gun as he leaned forward, gripping his rifled tightly as the truck hit a pothole. "Darling, that seems rather odd since Dollet was supposedly part of the peace treaty negotiations with Galbadia last year. That seems a bit military-ish to me. If I didn't know better, they are prepping for war."

Zell sniffed as he scratched an itch on his nose, "If you ask me, those look like missile silo doors."

"That's what I thought!" Selphie exclaimed, snapping her fingers. Memories of their time during the mission of trying to save her beloved Trabia Garden from Galbadia's missiles the previous year came flooding back.

"With us being recalled back to Garden and the general political climate happening in the world right now; that would explain our reception in Dollet back there." Irvine reasoned, scratching his chin.

Zell banged on the cabin window attempting to get Squall's attention, "You hearing all this Squall?" He shouted.

Squall flipped a hand indifferently with a look of annoyance, "Yeah Zell, I got it! Try to keep it down."

"Tch, fine. Just think this is important and all." Zell slumped back into the uncomfortable metal bed of the truck as it bumped along the last of the cobblestone streets before hitting the dirt road leading south.

"It is important." Squall whispered loud enough for Quistis and Xu to hear. He gazed up at the monumental dish array atop Dollet, his eyes lingering on the two silo bay doors. "I don't think anything good can come of those. If Dollet signed the peace treaty, there should be no reason for those to exist."

"Those look like they've been in construction for well over a year, since before the treaty." Quistis murmured.

"Which means," Xu concluded, "they are being deceptive and using our SeeD to accomplish their ends for war."

"The question is why…" Squall posed, his eyes now returned to the road, staring intently ahead.

"We may unfortunately find that answer in Timber." Quistis warned, leaning over Squall to roll down a window so the air could blow on her face as he rested an arm out.

They drove throughout the night, sometimes encountering monsters and other local wildlife. There was only one instance where they had to stop the truck to get everyone out to kill a rather egregious Hexadragon which was intent on destroying their ride. They rode mostly in silence with only a few, terse conversations between them. Many of them were focused on the mission ahead, reviewing over in their minds what their part or role would be in the coming events.

"That's odd." Quistis alerted, shaking her shoulder slightly to arouse Squall from his stupor. He had fallen asleep on the trip and had rolled his head onto her for support as he snored soundly. She found it cute but knew that he needed to be awake and see this. "Look Squall." She pointed out the window. Off to their right was the massive, hovering silhouette of Galbadia Garden in all its militaristic splendor. They had activated their levitation propulsion system and were heading northwards.

"Galbadia is on the move…" Squall muttered.

"Weren't they under attack per our last communique?" Xu asked, eyes still on the road.

"They were." Squall confirmed, his eyes narrowing.

"Did they manage to escape their assailants and move Garden to safety?" Quistis pondered.

"Who knows?" Squall's focus was diverted by the early morning lights of Timber, its TV station rising up from the skyline of the city. "We need to wake the others, Timber is dead ahead."

The green hued city was ablaze with neon lights of various pubs, theaters and clubs. Ever since the dissolution of Galbadian martial law, the city had seen somewhat of a renaissance of culture and night life. However with the resurgence of recreational activity also came with higher crime rates. With most resistance groups purposeless and disbanded, there was a glut of workers with little in the way of jobs. Timber expanded to fulfill this need with more entertainment venues and the establishment of various news agencies to meet demand but there were simply too many people to accommodate.

People were still either sleeping blissfully in their beds or were drunk and passed out in the pubs or theaters when they rolled into town. The morning sun was barely brightening the eastern sky as slivers of color began to play off the low hanging clouds above. They rolled past several barricades that had been set up the night before to redirect traffic around the central square in preparation for the execution. They spotted a paid parking lot just off the commoner's quarter just around the bend from Timber Maniacs, a magazine publishing company of somewhat well renown.

"Shouldn't we pay the parking fee?" Carl asked confused as the rest piled out of the truck and began grouping together.

"We're doing undercover ops genius." Toby snarked. "We'll probably be high tailing it out of Timber the moment we compete our mission. The less footprint we make here, the better."

Carl felt really dumb as he realized and understood Toby's explanation. Don't the other SeeDs get nervous before their first combat mission or was it just him? A short, harsh whistle prompted him to head over to the gathering group, all encircled around Squall. He looked at each person in turn before speaking, "You all should know your roles now." He handed out each of them a small ear bud to place in their ears before fastening his deep into the canal of his left. "We should be able to communicate with these by tapping on the button on its side and talking. Remember, if you encounter any hostiles, it is best if you do not summon a GF, rely on your magic and your training. If there are no further questions, we are on a time limit, break!"

Everyone nodded as they all split into their small teams and bomb-bursted from the parking lot. Xu led Frejya and Carl out down a side street, bypassing several dumpsters of trash reeking of week old refuse. Her senses were on high alert in this particular part of town. According to recent maps of Timber and Cid's latest intel, they would be traversing some rather dangerous parts of town to get to the radio station.

"Keep on the look-out for cameras and be sure to avert your face from them if possible." Xu cautioned as she drew the hood up over her head from her jacket. Frejya and Carl did the same as they tailed her through the meandering alleys towards the non-descript radio station.

Several bums perked up at their arrival and attempted to garner sympathy by calling out to them but were swiftly ignored and left continuing to wallow in their self-pity. Xu did indeed spot several new cameras suspended on the corners of several prominent buildings overlooking main thoroughfares. Most were pointed outward away from the back alleys and tight corridors between buildings. Was that purposeful or just negligence on their part?

"We're here." She whispered as she ducked low at the edge of the brick façade of an antique shop opposite the station. Beyond was the train platform that would loop around southwards towards the central plaza where the execution would take place that morning. The other two crouched down beside her as she cased the place, taking note of several cameras roving over the small court between them and their objective. She counted the number of seconds between each pass and deduced a small window of time where a short sprint across would be unnoticed by any of the cameras. She relayed this to Frejya and Carl before counting down to the next opportunity.

With a quick flick of her hand, she dashed forward across the street and ducked behind a small outcropping produced by the pillars on either side of the station entrance. Carl also made it safely over before they noticed Frejya had slipped, falling face first onto the concrete, scrapping the side of her cheek. Ignoring the slightly dripping blood from her face, she rolled over behind a parked car before slamming her back up against the door and slumping down onto her rump.

Xu focused on the cameras once more as they surveyed the street once again. It would be at least ten seconds before another chance would open up again. She didn't know if anyone was watching the security feeds in Timber or was actively manning them but she didn't want to take the chance to compromise their mission this early if anyone was watching. The cameras looked away once more as she signaled Frejya to come join them by the entrance.

She knelt down next to her as she pulled out some anointment from her small belt bag and began applying it to the open cuts on Frejya's face. "Are you okay?" She asked concerned.

"I'll be fine. Let's just get inside." Frejya said, a bit shaken.

Bowing his head at his role in the operation, Carl slipped over to the entrance and reached into his own belt bag clipped to his side and pulled out a miniature screw driver as he unhinged the front plate of the security control panel locking the front doors. He unhooked a few wires from the device and rearranged them with a satisfying spark as the entrance doors slid open before them.

"Good job." Xu whispered, giving him a small pat on the back which made him smile with pride.

They slipped inside, waiting just long enough for Carl to completely disable the system so that no one could enter the building while they were occupying it for the duration of their operation. Eschewing the elevators entirely, they hopped up two steps at a time up the stairwell to the third floor where it was obvious the night shift was broadcasting their early morning tunes. They spied two DJs in the booth with a mixer in the adjacent room adjusting volume levels.

"Civilians." Xu stated. "Best to leave them out of this." She glanced over to Frejya, "Do you have anything that would remove them without resorting to violence?"

Frejya smiled as she nodded, "I believe I do!"

Eyeing the paneled ceiling above them, she trailed the vent openings to where they'd connect into the booth room and asked Carl for assistance as he hoisted her up onto his shoulders as she removed one of the sections. She peered up into the small space and found an opening fan in the vent duct. Removing the tip off an arrow, she unscrewed the side letting the gas from the arrowhead seep out into the vent.

As she replaced the ceiling panel and hopped down from Carl, they were excited to hear the ventilation system kick in. Soon the entire booth was filled with gas that instantly made the occupants drowsy. Within moments, the three men had collapsed onto their stations or chairs completely asleep. Quickly putting small pods in their mouths to breathe through and filter the gas now permeating the recording booth, they rushed into the room.

Carl, utilizing his technical prowess, established a playlist that would play for several hours; long enough for them to complete their mission and leave. As long as they held the station, no news would get out about Rinoa's rescue until long after they left Timber. Xu and Carl dragged the three comatose bodies into a side room and propped them up along the wall before shutting the door on them. Frejya had recovered her arrowhead from the vent.

Pressing the button on the device in her ear, Xu notified Squall, "Sir, we are in position inside the radio station. All outgoing transmissions are secured at this time."

"Copy Major." Squall affirmed loudly in their ears. "Standby for further instructions."

"Time to settle in for now." Xu ordered, pulling up a rolling seat and sitting on it, looking out over the sea of dials and switches of the radio soundboard.

After a moment, Carl turned to Frejya, "Are those men okay?"

Frejya smirked, "Yes, the arrowhead was filled with sleeping gas which if punctured with would immediately cause the target to fall asleep as it diffused through their blood stream. I just let the gas outside by itself which is a bit more gradual."

"Amazing. You seem to have so many different types of tips for your arrows. All standard issue?" Carl probed.

Frejya darted a look toward Xu, who was resting her head up against the wall trying to get some rest, before responding, "Not all of them. Some were custom made by me, but not everyone needs to know that." They both shared a grin at her secret.

"You know," He commented, "It would have been easier to just put Sleep on them and be done with it."

"True." She smirked, "But it wouldn't have been as satisfying."

* * *

Selphie, Irvine and Toby overtook the TV station with relative ease. Although the place was bustling with activity, they went undetected through the building as they eliminated obstacles in their path and placed comatose victims into broom closets on their way to the security control room. The majority of the early morning workers were unaware of their presence and they intended to keep it that way.

Within the hour, they were sitting pretty inside the control room and were surveying the video feeds throughout the building and those feeding in from the cameras installed throughout Timber. It seemed the local police force was also using the TV station as their main hub of operations, most likely due to its centrally located position within the city. From this vantage point, they could actually look out the window down onto the execution plaza several blocks away. Irvine had set up a mount and had his rifle trained downward towards the platform where Rinoa was to be burned at the stake.

"So do you think Squall and the others are down by the square now?" Toby asked, his eyes gazing out the window across the multitudes of rooftops and neon lights.

Irvine turned his gaze from his target location and regarded Toby with interest. He could understand both his excitement and unease. It was Toby's first combat mission in the field and Irvine remembered his first mark where he was tasked to fire upon Edea, their Matron during their time in the orphanage. He had choked up at the realization of who he was going to kill and couldn't follow through until Squall gave him the courage and willpower to do so. He understood what it meant to be scared to take a life in the midst of chaos.

"I'm sure of it." Irvine said comfortingly. "We already got a check-in from Xu at the radio station and Squall acknowledged our report as well. I have no doubts that he's there right now waiting until they bring Rinoa out."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he just hops onto the platform straight off the bat as soon as he sees her and cuts down her captors, knowing how much he loves her." Selphie giggled, not turning her eyes away from the multitude of screens, all flickering between several different feeds every few seconds.

Toby shifted his weight onto his other leg uneasily, "Isn't that something bad?" At this, they both turned to look at him awkwardly, he expounded, "Having a relationship with another SeeD. Wouldn't that detract your focus from the overall mission?" His thoughts lingered on Frejya and how she regarded him back on the boat transport.

Irvine and Selphie shared a look before he spoke, "Listen slick," another scowl from Toby, "I completely get where you are coming from and I totally understand how you feel that having feelings for someone would hinder your ability to make difficult judgement calls. However, I beg to differ and assert that having someone you care about fighting alongside you makes you stronger and enables you to fight harder for them to protect them. Understand?"

Toby nodded and turned to Selphie as she chipped in happily, "Exactly! If I know Irvine's got my back, it gives me the confidence boost to do my best for him. We work as a team now and I wouldn't have it any other way!" She giggled again as Irvine gave her a rather rapacious look.

"If we didn't have a mission to do, I'd honestly ask you to leave the room for a few Toby." Irvine grinned, his eyes roving over Selphie's voluptuous body.

Toby cocked an eyebrow and raised his lip in shock, "Really? Here?"

The smirk never left Irvine's face as he addressed Toby, giving him a wink, "Sometimes love can't be contained. Sometimes it can't be explained or reasoned with. One day you'll snag a fine girl and understand yourself." Toby blushed furiously at this and swiftly directed his attention out the window, trying to find some object to focus on. Thoughts of undressing Frejya flooded his mind, making it hard to focus on little else. Would she ever care for him like that?

Both Selphie and Irvine laughed as she returned her attention back to the monitors. Her eyes caught movement in the streets. "Heads up!" She informed as she placed a hand to the button on her ear piece so the rest of the teams could hear. "We got several Dollet SWAT teams blocking off several roads and a limousine is being shuttled towards the square now."

"What is Dollet's militia doing here?" Quistis's voice popped through their ear pieces.

"Most likely connected with their changed stance in Dollet this morning when we passed through." Xu offered.

"Everyone look alive." Squall ordered. "We may have gotten into Timber easily but we should not let our guard down. The enemy is here and they most likely know we are here too. We still may yet have the element of surprise. Let's keep it that way. Stick to your positions and follow the plan. Remember-"

"Squall? Squall!" Selphie shouted as there was a crackling and then static on the line. She tried to hail Xu's team as well but got negative responses.

"We're being jammed." Irvine exclaimed as he huddled closer to the wall, looking down the sights of his rifle at potential sniper spots along the rooftops.

"Did someone blow our cover?" Toby asked nervously, shifting away from the window.

"Not sure….oh crap! This is bad!" Selphie said tensely, her eyes fixated on a specific screen. "We need to warn Squall immediately! Toby!"

He surged up to her side as he saw the newscast she was staring at, "How is that getting out?" He said pointing at the screen.

"I have no idea!" She roared back, her fingers ablaze on the keyboard in front of her. "I now know why Galbadia was on the move earlier! You need to get out of here and head to the plaza and inform Squall now! Remove anyone in your way who stops you! We are about to be in the middle of a shit storm here and we need to leave…now!"

"I thought he said our lives were acceptable losses for this mission?" Toby refuted, confusion settling in.

"Fuck that! I want to live! Go now!" Selphie practically pushed him out the door.

Not needing further incentive, Toby pressed a button on his staff to extend it to mid-length before dashing out the door and down the hall. Irvine shared a concerned look with Selphie before redirecting his attention back out to the city. Hopefully Toby got to them in time so they could bail out of here.

* * *

"This seemed way too easy." Zell commented as they milled about the gathering crowd in the main square bordering the primary train station platform. Constructed of hastily nailed wooden boards and sheet metal was the stage for Rinoa's execution, complete with a tall pole with a rather ostentatious amount of firewood and kindling at its base.

"Doesn't matter, keep your eyes open." Squall whispered, his eyes flicking this way and that. He knew these people were no fools and would not be surprised easily, if their previous encounter with them taught him anything. Their leader, Malthius, seemed especially cunning and knew the play well.

Things had occurred relatively unhindered. Xu and her team were now blocking radio transmissions out to the other continents while Irvine and his team had secured the video security within Timber. It wasn't until the last call from Selphie alerting them to movement within the streets heading toward their location and the subsequent jamming of their comms did he have a small inkling of worry.

"Do you think they are onto us?" Quistis said, trying to look as casual as possible. Hoping she looked just as eager as anyone else in the crowd to see a witch burn.

"Hard to say." Squall said dryly. His eyes rapt on the street branching off to his right, it seemed several police lights were brightening the buildings around as two motorcycles slowly drove forward, heralding the arrival of the limousine Selphie had informed them about.

He was about to signal the others to follow him closer to the stand when a familiar voice whispered behind them. "Oh, how the forests of Timber have changed."

Zell grinned as he turned to face Zone and recited the second half of the password. "But the owls are still around."

The man was as annoyingly conspicuous as ever. He wore his black, moussed hair up in spiky tendrils like a bad Zell knockoff and still sported his rather bulky blue sweater coat complete with khaki shorts and brown leather boots. Did anything he wore make common sense?

"SeeDs right? I knew it from the moment you stepped foot here!" A moment's pause before recognition settled in and his eyes bulged wide. "Squall! My man!"

Before Squall could react, Zone heaved forward and embraced the SeeD commander with a big bro hug. Squall sputtered something unintelligible as Zone went to give Quistis a similar fate. She raised both hands up to ward him off, "I want none of that!"

Expression slightly deflated but undeterred, he turned to Zell to give him a hug when he stopped short of the fist in his face. "I will punch you dude." Zell cautioned.

Zone grimaced as he slapped a comforting hand over his stomach, as if something suddenly became unsettling to him in his innards. "Right then." He said hesitatingly. "Well, let me get right to it. We saw the news reports that Rinoa was to be executed this morning and we decided to contact our contacts to get in touch with her. She said she knew-"

Squall's eyes lit up with an intensity unseen by Zone, "You managed to speak with her? Was she okay?" He was practically gripped Zone's coat by the collar, almost demanding he answer his questions in minute detail.

"Uh…yeah, sure…I mean, no! Not me personally, but she knew you all would come rescue her and she asked us to help you guys out." Zone mumbled as Squall set him back down again.

Squall scoffed as he swiveled away, his eyes locked back onto the limousine, "What can you guys do?" His last impression of the Forest Owls, the resistance force they were contracted to work for the previous year to dispose the current Timber regime, was rather sour. He had little confidence that they could actually do a legitimate job. Despite this, he did have to admit that if it weren't for them existing, he wouldn't have met Rinoa.

Zone readjusted his jacket before responding, "Well, for starters, we are securing an escape route for you."

"We have one." Squall said dismissively.

"Probably," Zone admitted, "but do you think you'll get out of here alive after you rescue Rinoa? The people here are out for her blood. They've been convinced that she is the cause for this looming war with Galbadia and by her death we can achieve peace. SeeD sentiments in Timber aren't very favorable either. You saving her wouldn't look good for your kind."

"Our kind?" Zell rumbled, his fists clenching.

Another groan of pain as Zone gripped his stomach tighter, "Are you angry? I'm sorry! I meant no disrespect!"

Quistis tapped her chin a bit as a look of worry settled onto her face. "He's right, you know. Whoever is behind this event is making it clear that Rinoa is the source of all the world's problems because she is a Sorceress and many are mindless enough to believe it. It would not look good on SeeD to rescue her."

Squall growled, "We knew this going in Quistis!" He rounded on her, uncharacteristically caustic, "I am saving Rinoa with or without you! We cannot let her powers fall into the hands of the enemy!" He hissed, drawing a few stares from surrounding bystanders. Angered at his own emotional outburst, Squall scrunched his face in repugnance as he spun around to see Rinoa being yanked out of the limousine by a chain linked to a collar around her neck. His blood boiled.

Knowing better than to rile their commander up further she stepped to the side with Zell and said in a hushed tone, "It might be best if we look into this escape route of theirs. Can you go with Zone to see what it's about before coming back and relaying it to the rest of us? Hopefully we'll have solved our jamming issue before then."

"Got it!" Zell nodded enthusiastically as he sprinted down the side alley with Zone. They both rounded the bend and were gone from sight.

Squall and Quistis made their way through the bustling mob until they were just meters away from the foot of the stage. Up to this point, he had ignored the blank canvas beyond the stake that extended to each end of the platform. Was it some sort of screen? His thoughts were dispelled when Rinoa was brought before them. Alongside her were not just various Timber police but also Malthius and Theros, his metallic arm shining brightly from the rays of early morning sun.

"Where are the other three?" Quistis susurrated. Her eyes darted around the square. They were still missing the woman, the gun-armed man and the masked one who could control their bodies with nerve gas. Especially the woman, if their plan was to transfer Rinoa's powers, shouldn't she have been here?

Squall shrugged, he knew the other three were somewhere and trusted that the other two teams would be capable enough to fend them off should the need arise. He had told them what to avoid doing while in combat with these people.

After an excruciating period of watching Rinoa being tied to the pole, facing out toward the crowd, Malthius stepped up to the podium perched off to the left side, his brown trench coat lightly flapping in the morning breeze. Squall's eyes were locked onto Rinoa, begging her to see him but she was oblivious of his presence. She was staring resolutely forward, not bothering to look anyone in the eye; however he could detect a small quiver in her lower lip.

"Today is a day of reckoning!" Malthius boomed through the microphone. Several speakers affixed to a few of the lampposts carried his voice down streets well past the square itself. "Sorceresses are a bane on existence and are the root cause of many wars and the deaths of your children!" A rising hum of agreement rose from the crowd.

"It was a Sorceress that took control over Galbadia last year and declared war on your cities and your country! It was a Sorceress from Esthar that started the first Sorceress War and stole millions of children from their homes!" He gestured grandly at Rinoa, "It is a Sorceress now who is inciting war yet again between Galbadia and its neighbors and has even convinced SeeD, a military organization supposedly designed to fight witches like her, to aid in her cause!"

A rising cry rose up from the horde as many people began hurling rotten fruit and vegetables at her. Many smacked her in the face and some flecks broke off and wedged themselves into her eyes. She blinked tears away as she bowed her head trying to cry and flush out the foreign particles. It took every fiber of Squall's being to stand put and watch this debacle. He prayed to Hyne that Selphie could figure this communication jamming fast. They needed to know if Irvine has a clear shot at Malthius or Theros. If he could eliminate one or both of them now, it'd make things a lot less complicated.

The screen lit up behind the podium as a visual feed displayed upon it from what appeared to be a flying drone that was slowly tracking the moving Galbadia Garden. "Even as we speak," Malthius continued unabated, "SeeD has sided with the Galbadians and are declaring war on our ally Dollet. They have broken the peace treaty and are seeking to subjugate the rest of the continent under their rule once again!"

"What the hell?" Squall stated, open mouthed in shock. With disbelieving eyes, he witnessed the entire Garden collide into Dollet. Its massive, unyielding bulk crushing houses, destroying massive buildings and ultimately ramming into the high mountain with the satellite dish atop it. How many people had just died right now? Hundreds? Thousands? However they managed to commandeer Garden, they single-handedly put SeeD at the forefront of the blame.

"We need to move now." Quistis hissed. "We can't wait on Irvine to take the shot!"

Things were going south fast. They had been set up and were right in the middle of probably one of the worst places a SeeD could be right now. The execution, Squall realized, had dual purposes. One was to eliminate a Sorceress and hopefully draw SeeD's attention and thus their involvement with her rescue. The second, the reason they had not accounted for, was to frame SeeD as initiators of a new war. They being here to rescue Rinoa only helped bolster the enemy's case for SeeD being evil.

"We've been had!" Squall spat. He unsheathed his gunblade and began to stalk towards the stage when Quistis placed a light hand on his arm, pointing at the swirling mist curling around their feet. He jerked his head around to spy more smoke slowly rising from the crowd. His eyes widened, "Get your breather on, now!" Both of them fished the devices out of their pockets and popped them in their mouths, hoping it would be enough to filter out the gas and prevent them from being unable to act.

By this point, many people were frothing at the mouth, demanding the blood of every SeeD as retribution for the deaths of friends or family who resided in Dollet. Squall froze in his tracks as he was pointed out directly from the crowd, "I know you all desire justice for this heinous act! As fate would have it," Malthius laughed, "we have the commander of Garden right here in our midst!" Extending his arm towards Squall, Malthius leered at him from atop the stage.

All eyes turned to him and Quistis as Rinoa cried out from the platform. Squall could only think of one word to say, muffled through the device in his mouth, "Shit!"

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:** _This chapter took a rather long time to write. The first half was almost like a recap for myself trying to make sense of what had transpired and where the plot was going with regards to the villains and their ultimate intentions. I hint at potential plot points here but don't really expound on them in any detail, just letting it gestate in the back of reader's minds for later. The second half of the chapter from the truck ride onward was a bit harder to pin down an overall flow. I wanted each of the new SeeD members to get some face time in the chapter but it was extremely hard to simply 'stop' a chapter just to get to know these three without killing the forward pacing of the story. So I had to continue to not expand upon these three new characters but rather let the reader deduce what they are all about through their actions during the mission. There will come a time later to dive into their personalities. Setting up the next chapter was important and I wanted to be sure I had all the 'puzzle pieces' in place so that the next chapter would be far more impactful on the reader._


	8. Chapter 8 - Unexpected Loss

"How did you secure this?" Zell marveled as he beheld the subway train, gleaming silver off its sleek surface in the dim gloom of the overhead lamps. It was only three tram lengths long but it would suffice as a suitable getaway vehicle.

Watts beamed proudly, "Sir, we managed to snag some connections with the Albhed resistance faction that was previously thought to have been decommissioned in Galbadia. We have a direct line of communication with General Caraway himself!"

Zell whistled, admiring the fancy ride. It certainly would be a faster method of transportation than their truck. His grin drooped slightly, "But we already have a plan of escape after the operation."

"Through the crowded streets and out onto the open roads outside Timber? They'll spot you and chase you down for sure!" Zone exclaimed, a look of visible shock and terror on his face.

Zell clucked dismissively, "Squall, Quistis and…Xu already devised the plan. It was extremely easy to get into Timber. We're completely under cover and they don't even know we're here." He finished with a certain amount of pride.

"Sir, that's what they want you to think!" Watts placed a hand on Zell's shoulder but backed off immediately at the prickly nature of the SeeD when touched. "They have all routes blocked off."

"We should know." Zone ploughed onward, seeing the look of disagreement in Zell's face. "Ever since the capture of Rinoa and the news coverage from it, Watts and I have been gathering intel and banding together the defunct resistance factions in Timber. We have more eyes and ears around the city than ever before. This is a trap meant specifically for SeeD."

Zell glanced around the station, noting several hooded men and women leaning up against the tiled walls. The Forest Owls sure seemed to have quite a few more members than he remembered. "Ok, but this train is heading straight for Galbadia based on its orientation. We're not headed that way."

Zone gripped his stomach hard, as if what he had to say next was extremely upsetting. "It's her dad…General Caraway. He arranged this train so that once you rescued Rinoa, as he expects you to, that you immediately transfer her under his custody and protection. Galbadia can protect her."

Zell scoffed, swiping a fist through the air in protest. "No way! Do you even know how mad Squall would be at that suggestion? Didn't Rinoa form the Forest Owls to fight against what Galbadia, her father's homeland, was doing in Timber? Why are you so eager to bring her back to the one man she despises?"

One could say that Rinoa has had a rather rocky relationship with her own father. Although not the cause of the Galbadian tyranny a year ago, General Caraway was still tasked to carry out orders in the subjugation of the nearby Dollet and Timber under the late Mayor Deling's orders. Rinoa had escaped from her father's stifling, protective eye and established the Forest Owls resistance group to help in the city's independence from dictatorial rule. To say their relationship was strained as a result of her actions would be an understatement. Who knows how her father feels now that she is a known Sorceress?

"You're absolutely right sir!" Watts waved his hands down in a feeble attempt to placate Zell's rising ire. "However, Rinoa is our friend first and foremost. We would be nothing without her!"

"He's right." Zone grimaced, nodded toward Watts. "We both believe this is our best course of action in helping our friend escape. Our goal is to get her away from Timber. If that means we get her to Galbaldia, then that's what we'll do."

"We all saw how Garden was attacked yesterday…" Watts voice trailed off, his next thought silenced by the scathing look Zell gave him.

"Tch, we were just unprepared for the level of skill these bastards have. That's all!" Zell rebuked fervently. "Now that we know what we're up against, we are in a better position to handle these jokers!"

A huge cry from the crowd above them caught their attention, "What just happened sir?" Watts nervously asked, his eyes darting up alarmingly at the tiled ceiling.

Another roar surged through the mob at street level. "I don't know." Zell commented. "But I don't like it one bit! Thanks for the offer guys but I think Squall will pass on bringing Rinoa back to her control freak dad!" With a flippant wave of farewell, he sprinted up the station steps to ground level, skipping every other step.

"No! Wait!" Zone shouted, trying to run after Zell. "You're all in danger!"

* * *

"Get him!" "Seize the SeeD scum!" "Don't let him get away!" An eruption of voices cried out as Squall jostled and pushed aside civilians as they tried to make a grab at his clothes. Each person trying their best to subdue the battle hardened youth. Gunblade unsheathed, Squall clocked several people on their heads, pitching them to the ground as he tripped several others. The last thing he wanted was innocent blood on his hands; that would only worsen the already tainted view the citizens had against SeeD.

Despite having the obvious respirator jutting out of her mouth, Quistis was blissfully ignored by the fanatical masses that were clawing at Squall. Utilizing the opportunity for stealth, she sidestepped around to the edge of the crowd and maneuvered her way toward the podium knowing full well Rinoa had her eyes on her. It was clear that the smoke diffusing through the plaza was the same, vile mist she encountered in Trabia. She chanced a sniff but its scent was unmistakable. The mob was probably completely under their control and the masked one couldn't be far.

Squall's concern for the welfare of the Timber civilians overwhelmed his capability to defend himself. Although it would be effortless for him to start beheading men and women around him and gutting them through, he knew it would be repugnant to Rinoa to harm the innocent people of Timber. She would never forgive him for it. At last, they subdued him and threw him up on the stage at Malthius' feet, gunblade tossed to the side where Renard casually picked it up to admire its intricate design.

Ripping the respirator from Squall's mouth, Malthius drove a swift kick to his ribs as Squall doubled over in pain, breathing in heavily the noxious smoke permeating the plaza. Fire burned in his lungs. All his senses became dulled as an inexplicable force immediately took hold of his body and forced him to be still atop the stage. He could not bend his own body to his will even if he wanted to, so enthralled was his nervous system to that potent gas.

"At long last," Malthius boomed, addressed the crowd gleefully, "we finally have the vile perpetrators responsible for mass genocide in Dollet. I say to you, my fellow Timber citizens," Rinoa scrunched her nose in disgust at Malthius's awful play at patriotic sympathy from the crowd, "before we declare war on Galbadia, what say you to hanging a national traitor before burning the witch?"

Rinoa finally broke her silence as she screamed out her disapproval. She was drowned out by the roaring cacophony of the crowd. Lifting the seemingly lifeless body of Squall casually with his silver arm, Renard gripped him by the neck and dragged him across the wood toward a small contraption alongside the established pile of kindling beneath Rinoa's feet. With a quick stomp of his foot, a wooden board flipped up and slid into the base of the platform before a tall, slender noose was raised on an extending metal pole. With a smirk, Renard gripped Squall by the cheeks before shoving his head through the dangling rope loop, ensuring it fit snugly around his neck. Squall's eyes seethed as he glared at the burly man. Renard only grunted his disdain as he caught the SeeD leader's wrathful stare.

"I think I'm feeling generous." Malthius boomed, a wide smile spread on his face as he faced the crowd, their eyes glazed yet the fervor still evident in their expressions. "How about we execute them together, like the two unholy lovers that they are. Even in death, they shall share the same fate, side by side."

Many of the men and women of Timber laughed mechanically, as if they were devoid of soul in their mirth. The effect was unsettling and drew chills down Quistis' spine. She had just made it to the far front most edge of the mob and was in line with Rinoa's future funeral pyre. She studied the contraption they had hooked Squall onto; it was a rather repugnant device of torture which would dangle the hanging victim like a traditional gallows but it had a retractable upper beam that could suspend the person out over the crowd, close enough for them to reach Squall's feet and hasten his death by pulling on him.

She grimaced as she realized the only way to save Squall was to utilize her Acid, a rather nasty ability she picked up from a Gayla. An alien-like creature that drifted along the air currents like a manta ray does through water, its white tentacles flowing in the breeze and its multitude of yellow eyes on its back and belly fluttering this way and that for any signs of danger. If threatened, it would coil up, revealing the hideous maw of teeth on its underside and release a rather potent spray of deleterious fluid that could melt through flesh, bone and more.

Quistis was one of the few SeeD who had bothered to learn the distinctive and incredibly difficult skill of mimicking monster abilities. Some claimed it was a sub class of magic that was commonly drawn out of the monster themselves, but these were uniquely different and as such did not contain any trace of magic residue in their manifest makeup. It was disgusting work dissecting, analyzing and sometimes eating various monster organs or parts to get a better understanding of how the creature functioned and thus gain the ability oneself to perform the very same abilities.

Acid was one such ability of the Gayla that Quistis saw as a way out of the mess they were in. A heady stream of it could liquefy the very structure of the hanging noose and if she was lucky with the spray, could arc it to help Rinoa out of her bonds from the witch's post. She had to aim carefully since one false movement could have the liquid splatter unintentionally onto either Squall or Rinoa and make things worse. She needed to hurry, Squall was already gagging, his legs convulsing as he was dragged along out over the mob. His eyes were already rolling up into his head at the shock of his strangulation. Renard laughed as he operated the device.

Ignoring the bedlam around her, dismissing the fact Malthius was setting flame to the base of Rinoa's funeral pyre with a spout of Fire with a flick of his hand, Quistis reached deep down inside to recall the memory of how to sprout Acid from her gullet. She grimaced as she felt the bubbling sensation rise up through her chest up into her throat, the stinging, bitter taste as it frothed up through her mouth. Aiming carefully, she removed her respirator as a stream of steaming Acid spewed from her mouth, sailing past Rinoa's bonds, cleaving them in two. A small cry escaped her lips as a few drops scattered onto her hands. The torrent continued on before slathering the upper beam hanging Squall out over the crowd.

"Who are you?" Malthius snarled as he sidestepped the revolting fluid. He unsheathed his gunblade before advancing on the coughing Quistis, hacking out the remnants of the Acid from her mouth before replacing the mouth piece back in to prevent from being controlled by the pervasive mist.

Within seconds, the upper beam slumped forward at the center before snapping in two at the onslaught of the Acid assaulting its internal structure. Squall fell like a rock to the ground, the room and remainder of the beam collapsing atop him in a heap. The crowd was upon him in moments, every hand trying to tear at his clothes, grapple his hair, and pull at his limbs.

"No!" Rinoa cried out, her arms and legs now free. She felt a huge weight lift itself off her soul as the bonds melted away. Their Sorceress dampening device had finally been removed. With an outstretched arm, an explosive gust knocked a huge swath of people onto their butts, providing a wide berth of space around Squall's prone form. "You leave him alone!" She roared, the feel of her magic returning to her.

Sprouting white, brilliant wings, she floated down beside Squall's body, glaring at anyone who would dare get near her. A small bubble of air could be seen around her mouth, her magic passively warding off the insidious gas that was afflicting the entirety of the Timber citizens. With a growl, Malthius ordered Renard to reclaim the Sorceress while he went after Quistis.

Renard leapt high into the air before casting Tornado around himself to slam down fast into Rinoa's back before she had a chance to react. Her face smashed into the tiled pavement, blood began to stream from her nose. Her senses now heightened by both pain and anger, she anticipated the follow up. She rolled to the side as a metallic fist shattered the bloody tile she had occupied, sending chips of sharp debris into the air.

"You can't escape your fate forever little girl!" Renard leered. "All Sorceresses die in the end!"

"Not this one asshole!" She spouted before ramming his face full of Lightning. He recoiled back with a spiteful bellow, electricity coursing through his veins, causing the servos within his arm to dance erratically within. The silver limb went limp but he swiftly recovered, landing a mean punch into her face with his organic fist as she swooped in attempting to sweep him off his feet. The blow knocked her out cold.

"Picking on a lady, how shameful of you punk!" Tripping a few civilians to remove them from the fracas, Zell took a running leap before attempting to drop kick into Renard. Speeding his reactions with Triple, Renard caught the descending leg before swinging Zell around. Releasing him to the momentum with a short burst of Aero, Zell hurtled towards the platform, bashing a massive hole through its base before landing underneath the gaping hole caused by Quistis' Acid. Theros, who had been camping out underneath the grandstand, jauntily hopped onto the prone body of Zell before pummeling it with his nun chucks cackling as he did so.

Malthius stalked down the steps, watching Quistis unfurl her whip, swiftly swiping on her armband to prep the necessary spells. "You do realize," he drawled menacingly, "that your efforts as SeeD are futile? Your sole purpose is undermined by the fact that you caused Sorceresses to be dangerous. Your very existence is what prompted retaliation. The only solution now is to eradicate the both of you." He smirked as she gritted her teeth tighter around her mouth piece. "Can't talk eh? Afraid you might lose control? You should try it sometime, it is quite…liberating!"

He lunged forward on the last word, twirling effortlessly as he brought down the gunblade, igniting the trigger sending a pulse down its length. It crashed into the concrete, sending a shockwave surging through the ground, upending tiles and rock. Quistis flipped over the rampaging groundswell with the assistance of Float before interlacing her whip with Ice. With a crack, she swung several splintered shards of Ice through the air, each one ricocheting off his gunblade, steadily getting closer to her with each block.

"Clever you are." He grinned before blasted her off her feet with Aero before crushing her down with a giant ball of Water. By Hyne he was fast! She couldn't comprehend how fast he switched easily between spells. "I'm afraid our little spat ends here though. You were an admirable opponent, pity that I am obligated to kill you." She started to choke as the respirator drifted from her mouth into the Water as liquid began flowing down into her lungs setting them on fire. He was slowly drowning her, manipulating the Water to follow her wherever she moved. She could not get free and gulp in any air. "Such a waste too." He murmured as he admired her assets.

Malthius perked his ear up as he heard several patters of running feet. He turned in time to grip the descending staff, a look of rage and loathing on Toby's face. "Remove the spell now!" He roared, trying to pit his strength against Malthius'. Quistis was already doubling over in agony, having crumpled to the ground, Water still hovering over her entire body.

"You've got spirit. Every one of you SeeDs has heart. But it will not save you from the judgement that must happen." He tightened his grip on Toby's staff, preparing to utilize it as leverage to flip the boy over onto his back.

Hiding a grin and ignoring the inner fear racing through his veins, Toby pressed a button at the staff's base shooting the spikes out at the tip, piercing through Malthius' hand. With a shluck, Toby ripped the staff out of the man's hand before bounding past him to dissipate the Water with a hasty Dispel. "Colonel Quistis! Are you all right?" He mumbled through the mouth piece, placing a comforting hand on her back as she wretched up the contents of her stomach.

"You little shit!" Malthius thundered as he gripped his injured palm, the tissues and fibers swiftly binding the torn skin together. With a flick of his head, the mindless civilian drones became active again, rumbling towards them like a horde of zombies. Several of the local police brought up their guns and began aiming down their sights. "Let's see how well you fight when you got collateral damage to consider!" He cackled maniacally.

"You able to fight?" Toby asked concerned, leaning heavily on his staff while helping Quistis to her feet.

Nodding slowly, her wrathful gaze rising to meet Malthius', she confirmed as she picked back up her whip, replacing the pod in her mouth, "Of course I am."

* * *

"Why aren't you firing!?" Selphie squeaked at the debacle unfolding before them. "Shoot him down!"

Squall's legs were shuddering violently as they extended his body out over the crowd. Wiping a bead of sweat off his brow with his sleeve, Irvine resituated his eye back over the scope. "I can't Sephy! He's yanking that rope around too much and it's a small enough target as it is! I can't get a good bead on it."

Scaling her binoculars up to Renard operating the device, she suggested urgently, "What about that big guy with the arm? Shoot his ass!"

A small nod was all the confirmation she needed as he shifted his aim to snipe off the man's head. He jolted a little as a loud pounding was heard on the security door behind them. Apparently someone in the TV station discovered that something was wrong and they weren't supposed to be there. Time was short if he wanted to make the shot, eventually there would be someone with enough security clearance to open that door and they'd have to fight their way out. Settling the butt of his rifle into his shoulder, he took several deep breaths before taking aim at the forehead of Renard. Breath in…breath out…

His finger began pulling back on the trigger when a stream of green fluid erupted from the nearby mob. Quistis had suddenly saved both Squall and Rinoa. The next few events happened quite rapidly. Flurries of movement of both friend and foe intermixed, providing horrible targets for Irvine.

"Damn it! They're fighting so fast I can't get a good shot." He nervously looked back toward the door, the pounding got louder as several more voices were added to the mix on the other side. He hated cracking under the pressure again, right when his friends needed him most.

Selphie practically shook him as she tried to get his attention, "Both Rinoa and Zell are down! He's bending over Rinoa now, shoot him!" Panic was evident in her voice.

Surmising she had provided him a good target, he swiftly brought the scope back to his eye as he let out one final breath. The crack reverberated around the room as the bullet sailed through the air toward the central plaza. Renard, his Triple still active, sensed something was amiss and looked up in the direction of the sound. This single movement ruined the shot as it pierced through the side of his neck before ramming itself into the eye socket of an elderly woman, the impact throwing her to the ground.

"Crap! I think I just killed a civilian!" Irvine swore.

"We better get out of here now!" Selphie exclaimed, her binoculars quickly being filled by the raging Flare racing towards them. Molten flecks dripped off the incoming fireball, falling to the rooftops below setting the flammable material up in violent conflagrations.

"Get down Sephy!" Irvine shouted as he grappled his rifle and leaped atop of her, both skidding across the floor behind a rather obtuse looking desk.

The blast rocked the side of the station producing a rather large shockwave that pulsed through its entire foundation. Plaster and wood beams splintered and fragmented off in a plethora of directions as Selphie screamed beneath Irvine, who only held her tighter. Repressed memories of being caught in the explosion of the Galbadian missile base of the previous year came flooding back to her. They managed to escape the brunt of that blast by hiding within a tank-like war machine which protected them but she never forgot the ordeal.

As the rumbling settled, Irvine chanced a look over at the gaping hole in the side of the room. He could see the city of Timber stretching out before them. He did not want to think about what would have happened had he stayed at the window. A chill wind blew through the opening but did little to deter the continuing effects of the Flare, still hungrily eating the remaining edifice of the room. If left unchecked it would eventually eat its way through the entire TV station.

The pounding on the door turned into excessive slamming, as if someone was now trying to kick the door down. With one final bang, the entire frame shook as the door blew off its hinges, hitting the ground with a racket. Irvine's eyes popped as he saw the man entering the room. His long, silver hair flowing out from beneath a fedora and metallic, gun arms hidden between the long sleeves of his brown trench coat; there was no mistaking who it was.

Eye locked onto Irvine, Fefnir rolled back the sleeve of his coat with the tip of his left gun arm before configuring the right arm into that of a shotgun. Ignoring the surprised stares of the civilians standing behind him beyond the doorway, he took aim and fired a spreading blast. Instinctively reacting, Irvine erected Slow around them, reducing the speed of the incoming spray before reloading his rifle with a new bullet. Jerking Selphie to her feet, he aimed around the stationary spell field before letting loose a concussive round.

"Y'all get out of here!" He waved off the stunned bystanders standing there watching the spectacle unfold before them. Some flinched as the shot Irvine fired hit the wall just inches away from Fefnir's head, sending force vibrations through the air knocking them down and staggering Fefnir. Several people screamed as they began to tear down the hallway, clearly outmatched against the previous assumptions of who had intruded upon their workspace.

With a grunt, Fefnir Dispelled the Slow before getting to a knee and peppering off several incendiary rounds to add to the slow burn creeping across the walls and floor from the Flare. Seeing as Irvine was expeditiously stuffing more bullets into his gun, Selphie slammed a wall of solid Ice down from the ceiling causing the miniature fire bombs to ping off the hard surface and rebound back towards Fefnir.

Slapping his arms together, his limbs contorted and combined together to form a rather large cannon, seemingly protruding from his very chest. Selphie's eyes grew wide from beyond the opaque wall. "Irvine! He's got a big freaking gun!" She began to pat on his shoulder incessantly.

"I'm working it babe!" He snapped, filing in the last round into the barrel. With a snap, he realigned the rifle and began to fire in a circle around their position.

"What are you…?" Her voice trailed off as he finished. She shrieked as he stomped hard on the dislodged flooring, causing the entire piece to collapse downwards onto the floor below. Fefnir cursed as he fired off his massive photon blast just inches above their heads, shattering the Ice wall into a million shards. He back flipped onto his feet from the recoil before readjusting his arms for the pursuit.

They landed with a crashing thud atop several cubicles, knocking computers and monitors off the desks. Ignoring the stiffness in their limbs from the fall, they shakily slid off the broken rubble before crawling along the ground, looking for cover and to put some distance between them and their pursuer. Several people were still standing at their desks to see what had happened since the original explosion only to yell and run off the moment they saw Fefnir hop down through the hole, guns flared and powering up for something deadly.

"I know you are in here." He simpered, scanning along the row tops of monochromatic, plastic dividers.

His ears perked up at the sound of a click. Swinging his arms around, he charged his cannons up to a high pitched whine. Fiery lasers burst forth from both appendages as he swept them back and forth across the cubicle city. Computers and desks melted on the spot as flurries of paper flew through the air. The penetrating rays of concentrated energy pierced through the wall beyond, slicing in half several people still trying to escape the epicenter of destruction. They flopped over gawking at their lower body still twitching, blood pouring freely from their waist.

Cueing in on the whine, Irvine and Selphie stalked low beneath the level of the cubicle walls, being careful to hit the floor each time as the sweeping laser beam headed their direction. He rounded the bend to behold Fefnir, a smirk dominating his face, completely oblivious to their location. Chancing a quick Scan, Irvine realized the man hadn't bothered to endow himself with Triple yet, which would account for his lack of situational awareness.

"I'm going to need your help Selphie." He inclined his head towards Fefnir, passing his hand over his eyes. She nodded in comprehension at what he wanted her to do.

Readying his rifle by steadying it atop a fallen stack of binders, he took aim at Fefnir's head. Almost instantaneously, Selphie tackled Fefnir's senses with Blind. With his vision suddenly dark, he immediately ducked into a crouch. His arms shifted and molded themselves into twin shields to defend himself from both sides. A ringing clang was heard as Irvine's shot rammed fruitlessly into Fefnir's metal appendages.

Cursing lowly, keenly aware that Fefnir was now aware of their exact position just by sound and the direction of the shot, he gripped Selphie's hand in his own and began running down the aisles and rows toward the nearest door opposite the windows. They could hear the short man flipping and leaping across the partitions, alarmingly accurate with his foot placement by both guesswork and foreknowledge of the room's layout before being stricken with Blind.

"I think the gig is up. We should skedaddle out of here!" Irvine quipped, ducking low as an errant beam screamed past his cheek. He was thankful Blind would not wear off for at least a few minutes more, long enough to put some distance between them.

"Where do we go now?" Selphie asked, almost sliding onto her butt at the quick turn into the exterior hallway. They galloped down the corridor to the far end with a body sized window overlooking a rather large building directly across the alleyway from the TV station, the rooftop just slightly below the level of the floor.

"Out there!" He waved his head quickly ahead of them, indicating the glass window.

"Are you kidding me?" Selphie probed open mouthed. "We're eight stories up! We can't make that jump!"

"Of course we can!" He whooped, firing out the glass, shattering it out onto the street below.

"You are friggin' crazy! Why did I even date you again?" Selphie mocked half-jokingly, half out of fear.

Squeezing her hand tighter before planting a kiss on her cheek, he grinned stupidly, "Because you love me." He tore out of the window, leaping high into the air, dragging Selphie through the air with him.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes closed, "I'm going to kill you!"

With the combined effects of Float and Tornado, he managed to safely land them on the opposing roof. They slumped to the concrete beneath them in a heap, both breathing heavy and glad to be alive. Selphie looked up to see Fefnir standing at the threshold of the body length opening, squinting his eyes to see where they had fallen, Blind finally starting to wear off.

She clutched Irvine's shoulder tight as she whispered quickly in his ear, "We need to get back to Squall and the others. They will need our help."

He groaned as his ribs ached something fierce. Managing to push up onto his hands and knees he let his hat drop to the ground, letting his brown locks flow down past his face. "Sure thing, if we can get rid of shorty here."

A small chuckle was heard above them as they saw the looming shape of Fefnir plunge towards them. He had uncanny hearing and seemed to angle his descent straight at their voices. He swung his two arms forward before lacing his cannons with Meteor, launching great flaming rocks from each arm.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Selphie stood agape before being yanked sideways by Irvine. The great boulders of fire smashed into the rooftops, burrowing themselves deep into their foundations, killing anyone in its path.

"We need to get to the next building before this one collapses!" Irvine shouted, scooping up his hat. They could already feel the entire structure rumble beneath their pounding feet as they ran for the other end, leaping over vent ducts and other piping that providing ventilation for the occupants inside.

Completely unconcerned with the hapless citizens around, Fefnir landed lightly onto the rooftop before casually jogging after the two SeeDs launching volley after volley of fiery Meteors at the buildings ahead of them. The rather oblong structure before them was struck hard right through the middle, its poor construction causing it to topple almost immediately from the intense heat and shock. Irvine and Selphie veered hard to the left before making a running leap to the next building over, their eyes ever on the ultimate goal of reaching the central plaza where plumes of fire and smoke were flashing across the building sides and the sound of explosions carried along the wind.

* * *

Frejya was the first to spot something wrong during one of her rounds. Once their comm link got jammed, she swapped out in shifts with Carl to patrol their floor to ensure they wouldn't be taken by surprise. It was only a slight movement that caught her eye while strolling past a window overlooking the adjacent street. She saw a rather angry mob heading straight for their position. Scrambling back to the radio room, she alerted Xu and Carl about the incoming threat. Without further hesitation, they picked up their weapons and bolted out the door, careening down the hallways to the upper exit fire escape.

They were swiftly able to navigate down the metal stairwell at the backside of the building, shuttling down the extendable ladder to the grimy cobblestones below in the alley. They had just escaped from the radio station when a huge spire of flames went up above the city a few dozen blocks away. Judging from the dull roar coming from the plaza, things had not gone according to plan and it sounded like a pitched battle was ravaging the city. Gunshots and cries were heard from various parts of Timber.

"So what do we do now?" Frejya wavered, her eyes zipping back up to the doorway they came from when they heard a crash and thud inside. The crowd had finally infiltrated the station and was systematically scouring the building for them.

Xu Scanned the area to detect several hostile elements of magic coming from the north. She pointed to the south toward the market. "We head this way and loop back around to the plaza. We need to convene with Squall, assist if we can and rendezvous at the truck."

"Got it!" Both Carl and Frejya affirmed in unison.

"Sounds like a war is going on out here!" Carl shouted amid the din as they rounded a corner to be confronted by a group of civilians. Their eyes glazed, they leaned over to look at them before shambling over with batons, guns, sticks, metal glasses and any other random article that could pass as a weapon.

"Engage but do not kill!" Xu ordered firmly. "Our goal is through them to the central train station!"

Pulling out an arrow from her quiver, Frejya drew the drawstring taut before letting loose an arrow aimed at the center of the group so that it would land on the ground amongst them. Suppressing a grin at her agility and skill, Xu motioned for the others to follow her in maintaining a wide berth around the now coughing group of people. One managed to stumble away from the incapacitated horde and lurch towards Carl, arms extended to grab onto his hair. With a rapid extension of chain from his scythe he swooped it once in an arc through the air before swinging it low, ensuring just the chain contacted the main's ankles causing him to fall backwards thrusting the wind out of his lungs as he smacked the pavement.

"How much further?" Frejya prodded, briefly leaping to the side before striking an unexpected hobo, staggering out from a side alley to grab her. Sucking in breath as the jarring impact from hitting him with the broadside of her bow traveled up her arm.

"Not much farther." Xu panted, leaping over the hood of a car that had been rudely parked in front of the alley entrance. The growing roar of people fighting told her to head left before ducking into another side street that would hopefully come out right into the plaza. "The central train station should be just ahead. Prepare yourselves for anything!" Reaching to the dual clips at her belt, she pulled out two pronged knives. Like Malita, Xu was proficient in the Sai. She preferred to think she was her unofficial tutor whenever they had sparred with each other during their training.

They stumbled into pandemonium in the square. Multitudes of people were killing each other and mass chaos reigned as they tried to skim the crowd in hopes of finding Squall and the others. It seemed hopeless. They dared not forge ahead into that mess unless they had a clear path or objective to strive towards. They lingered on the fringes of the skirmish, knocking those stupid enough to attack them unconscious. A slight haze was lingering in the air but the majority of the gas toxin had dissipated.

"Over there!" Carl yelled, pointing over to the far buildings off to their right.

A huge shockwave thundered through the ground as the figure of Renard swirled through the air before crashing into an upper story window of what looked like to be a café. Recovering quickly, the silver-armed brute initiated Quake before propelling himself and the entire collapsing structure forward with Tornado. Many inhabitants were crushed as they looked up vacantly at the building falling down around them. Rinoa, wings shining brilliantly white in the morning sun, was trying in vain to eradicate every piece of rubble raining from the sky but was unable to save everyone.

On the far side of the area was scattered gunfire between Malthius and Squall. Toby had given Squall a boost into the air before Squall rained down chunks of molten metal from his gunblade. Malthius danced to the side, pulsing forth a punishing Meltdown, causing Toby to crumble where he stood as his muscles gave out due to weakness. Quistis flowed in from the side, cracking her whip in an attempt to trip him up. She was trying to keep him occupied with micro missiles launched from her fingertips, each one creating miniature explosions wherever they struck; a unique skill she picked up from a Death Claw the previous year.

Scrabbling along the building sides, swinging and leaping from window ledge to veranda was Zell. He was in hot pursuit of Theros. Like a macabre spider, he was skittering unnaturally along the brick facades of each structure, seemingly finding impossible handholds with which to support his weight. Although visibly injured, Zell was unwilling to give up the chase and continued to hunt the spindly bastard all the way to the rooftops.

Xu assimilated all the events transpiring before her before divvying up the duties between her team. She pivoted to Frejya and pointed off towards Zell, "Can you provide him some assistance from the ground in bringing that man down to our level?"

Shaking off her rising fear that had seemed to fill her chest Frejya breathed deeply before responding, "Yes Major. I think I have a few arrowheads for just this occasion." Without another word, she dashed off in the direction that would put her right in their path, her hands already a blur fishing out the necessary arrows from her quiver.

Xu eyed Renard, examining his movements. "I don't think it would be wise for me to get in close to that man with what weapons I do have." She cocked her head over to Carl, "Think you can trip him up a bit to allow Rinoa a good shot?"

"Yes, ma'am!" He replied, a nervous grin on his face. Being his first actual experience in combat, he had to keep reminding himself to calm down. Letting loose a bit of chain out of his handle, he gripped the scythe in one hand before dashing off into the crowd, twirling and sweeping through civilians like butter. The more he let his training kick in, the less afraid he was to fight.

Knowing her place was at Squall's side, she flipped her sais around so that each strike would be at the butt end of her weapons. She was reserving the business end for Malthius. Like a dancer practicing her routine by rote memorization, she flowed into the mob. A sidestep here, a duck there, an uppercut to the chin here, and a heel-toe flip there. She made swift work of navigating the maze of bodies until she was upon the pitched battle between Malthius, Squall, Quistis and Toby.

Promptly Dispelling the Meltdown enrapturing Toby's being, she drew him up roughly with a strong gust of Aero along his backside. Shocked and a little embarrassed, he rolled to the side as a wayward swipe from Malthius' gunblade swung low over his head. He snatched up his staff before pressing a few buttons along its length to elongate it further, snaking flames began rotating around both ends. With a flourish, he coiled his staff in a sweeping arc at Malthius' midriff, flames flying through the air causing visual confusion.

"Xu!" Quistis beamed, relief washing over her face. "It is so good to see you!" She admitted, launching another salvo of micro missiles from her left hand while batting away a strike of Malthius' gunblade with her whip.

"Well it seems I'm finally outmatched." Malthius leered as he observed Xu stalk in, angling in to be closer to Quistis. Squall had recovered from the previous blow and was advancing forward with gunblade raised. Toby was in a flurry of movements, trying in vain to burn Malthius' face with either end of his staff; being rebuffed each blow by the man's superior skill in defense.

"Give it up. We know you're running low on magic stores! You've been flagging for the last few minutes." Squall scoffed, his eyes intent on Malthius. Indeed, the man had been lacking on blocking several recent attacks, his abilities being hindered by the consistent usage of magic in battle. SeeD typically junctioned magic to their bodies to assist in boosting their innate capabilities which can range anywhere from reaction to physical endurance to strength; Malthius' constant usage of magic was depleting the boon it was providing for his combat prowess.

"I'll concede that." He snorted, before threading the needle between Toby's thrust towards him and his forearm. The gunblade slid in-between the impossible space between Toby's skin and the armband that controlled his junctioned magic. With a flick of his wrist, Malthius ripped the blade upwards, causing the rest of the band to fall to the ground. "However, you are also running low as well!" He sniggered.

With a laugh, Malthius clenched his fist as he drew all the magic out of Toby. The boy collapsed under the violating touch that was infiltrating his innards. Like a piece of his soul was being lifted out of his heart. He buckled to his knees as he began to vomit from the unnatural sensation, his staff clattering to the side completely forgotten. Squall bellowed an obscenity as he triggered his gunblade to explode on Malthius who merely hopped away from the devastating strike, apparently satisfied with the amount of magic he had stolen.

Quistis wrestled his arm, yanking hard on her whip to jerk him forward. Malthius moved to spin in place to unfurl the leather encasing his wrist when Xu dove in, piercing his thigh with a sai before using leverage off his leg, boosting up over him before landing hard down on him with her other sai puncturing his right lung. He gasped for air, in time to witness Squall swing his gunblade down onto his outstretched arm, slicing it completely in half.

Blood gushed out of the wound as a howl erupted from Malthius. Seething anger bubbled in his eyes as he, now free from the constraining whip, flipped Xu over onto her back before lobbing a revolting blast of Bio at Squall. The spell hit him squarely in the chest, causing him to double over in retching spasms as the poison flowed through his body, seeking to stop his heart. Quistis broke off the attack to help assist Squall in removing the lethal contaminant from his system.

"The hell is this?" Xu remarked in astonishment.

Tendrils of red, congealed blood shot out of Malthius' stump of an arm, taking ahold of his severed limb before latching itself back onto his body. Within seconds, his arm was fully healed with only a dry ring of blood where it had been severed. He utilized the whip still bound to his wrist to entangle Xu's neck. Wrenching her closer to him as he pulled out the sai in his chest and stabbing her in the neck with it. She coughed on the sudden blood filling her mouth, screaming in agony when he ripped the other sai from his thigh and plunging it into her breast. Untangling himself from the leather whip, he let it and Xu drop to the ground like sacks of trash.

"You may have escaped with your lives today Squall but the consequences of SeeD's actions will be remembered today. Until next time we meet." Malthius saluted crudely before boosting himself up onto the nearby rooftop and whistling for Renard and Theros to break off their attacks.

Zell and Frejya rushed over to kneel down beside Squall. A small cry lodged itself in Zell's throat as he saw Xu sprawled out on the ground, blood pumping out her neck and chest. "What in Hyne's name happened here?!" He hollered. Sweeping over her form, he immediately began to apply Regen and Cure to every inch of her wounds, tracking the lines of shock through her system and dulling the pain with Protect.

At length, she began to refocus her eyes and settle them on his face, her pupils tracing the contours of his facial tattoo. "Z..Zell?" She croaked.

"Shhh, don't talk right now. We'll get those sais out of you." He whispered, pressing a gentle finger to her lips. He looked positively petrified that she could die.

A patter of footsteps heralded the arrival of Rinoa and Carl. Renard had busted him a bloody lip and he was limping badly, favoring his right leg. Rinoa seemed little worse for wear with only minor scratches and bruises.

"Squall!" She cried out, wanting nothing more than to flop atop of him and squeeze him tight, regardless of how inappropriate it would appear to others. She felt a small pang of jealousy lance her heart as she saw Quistis hovering over him, dealing out curative magic to aid his recovery from the deadly spell. Then she laid eyes on Xu. As much as she wanted to descend upon Squall and help Quistis remove the infectious Bio from his bloodstream, she could see Xu needed her help more.

"The crowd is now finally dispersing. Most of the people here are confused and terrified. With the mist gone, they seem to have finally come to their senses." Rinoa remarked as she squatted down next to Xu. "Thank you all for saving me." After a pause and a small trickle slipping down her cheek, she turned to Zell. "This is going to take both of us. I'm going to remove these from her but you're going to have to dump all the Cures and Regens you have stocked to be able to keep up with the injury. Do you understand?"

Zell nodded imperceptibly, his eyes pining for Xu. Maybe now she would see how much he cared for her. An involuntary wail pricked the air as each weapon was removed from her body. She began to shake uncontrollably as her whole body went into shock once again. "Keep on her!" Rinoa ordered, pressing firmly into the open wounds and applying magic of her own into Xu's lesions. After several minutes, the trembling abated and she lay still, completely unconscious.

"We're going to have to carry her back to the truck." Squall murmured, weariness influencing his voice as he shakily got up to a knee. His face was pale and drained of all color. He looked like death was at his doorstep. Quistis beside him wasn't looking any better. She tapped the last reserves of curative magic she had to keep Bio from stopping Squall's heart.

"I agree." Quistis mumbled, feeling slightly feint. "We all are running low on magic and we don't have near enough useful spells to continue the fight should we encounter them again. We need to fall back and regroup."

"What about Toby?" Frejya pointed out, noticing the groaning SeeD wobbling to a sitting position.

"He'll be fine." Quistis waved a hand at him, "He just had his entire stores drained. I've experienced it before, the feeling will pass. He will most likely be able to walk in a few minutes." This elicited another moan from Toby.

Having finished her job, Rinoa slapped her hands onto her thighs before standing up and looking around. "Where is Selphie and Irvine?"

Squall shook his head, still looking at the ground. "I don't know. However if they could see from their vantage point that things were turning sour, they'd either come here to the square or meet up with us back at the truck."

"That sounds like a good plan." Zell approved, lips pursed with determination. "I got Xu. I'll carry her to the truck." With that decision firmly made, he lifted her up over his shoulders in a fireman's carry before striking off toward the street that would lead them to their parking spot.

Quistis helped Squall up as Toby leaned on Frejya to his feet. Rinoa browsed over the rooftops and noticed a big gaping hole in the side of the TV Station. She wanted to fly up there and investigate herself to see if they were safe but she knew they were most likely far gone from that location. "I hope those two are all right." She whispered to herself.

* * *

Having since depleted all Meteors he had stocked up, Fefnir switched to his wealth of Fire spells; launching one fireball after another, setting ablaze whole buildings, narrowing their route of escape to one lone bottleneck. Irvine practically dragging Selphie along behind him by the wrist, he leaped over a small drain pipe before firing an explosive round back at Fefnir. The bullet nicked a sliver of hair as he tumbled to the side, allowing the shot to sail past him, burrowing itself into a high rise apartment beyond before exploding its interior. Puffing away a strand of his silver locks that had draped over his face, he renewed his pursuit.

"Do you have any magic left to nail that guy?" Selphie wheezed, practically stumbling when they came to the edge of another rooftop. She had never run this much in her entire life.

"I'm all out of anything destructive." Irvine confirmed despondently. "All I got is a small store of ammunition left in my pouch." He spied the triangular parking lot that they left their truck in one block over. He only recognized it for the neon sign above it, denoting the nearby strip club he used to frequent back before the war. "We're almost there anyway. Let's go!"

"I see them!" Selphie pointed out animatedly, nearly hopping up and down. Running up the sidestreet on their left was Squall and the others. It seemed quite a few of them were injured and Xu was completely comatose. "Oh no! Xu's hurt!"

"Does it look bad babe?" Irvine muttered; his eyes fixated on the surrounding area, looking for an easy way down to the ground. They had utilized his last Float on that final jump to their current position. He didn't have a comfortable route down to the ground from here.

"I can't tell yet!" Selphie shouted down to them, waving her arm frantically above her head. "Hey! Squallie! Up here!"

That got his attention, his eyes wandered up to see the two of them perched atop the bar overlooking the small quad. No sooner had he locked eyes with Selphie that a fireball crashed into their truck, sending it sky high in a plume of flame. "Shit! Everyone get down!" Squall ordered. They all scattered to the edges of the streets as the blazing wreck smashed down onto another car.

"Now what?" Carl fumed. "That was our ride!"

Zell growled at the only option they had left. "We need to take the subway. The Forest Owls have an escape plan for us."

"But what about Irvine and Selphie?" Frejya pointed out.

"Yes, we need to get them down now." Quistis agreed.

"Wait, did you say Forest Owls?" Rinoa queried, pacing up to Zell.

"Yeah, I did." Zell nodded, shifting the weight of Xu on his shoulders.

She grimaced visibly, "The fools. They're just doing what my father wants. We can't take their offer."

"Dammit Rinoa!" Squall roared, "We need to get out of here alive. We can't just walk out of Timber with the whole world blaming us for this disaster!" She winced at his tone but proceeded to hide her true feelings on the matter, there would be time enough later to hash it out with him.

"Guys…a little help." Irvine prompted, waving his hand in a beckoning motion, his eyes locked on Fefnir, who was coolly loading his arms with more rounds. "Another couple Floats would do nicely here."

Everyone quickly scanned their armbands only to realize they had none left available. Sensing this fact, a deep foreboding in the pit of his stomach began to take hold. They would have to jump without the aid of magic and hope their comrades would catch them.

"Can't you go down the roof access and get to the ground level?" Toby offered weakly.

As if on cue to answer that question, Fefnir lobbed a grenade out of his right barrel, ensorcelled with Flare. It plastered alongside the edge between Selphie and her view of the group. The explosion rocked the square as Selphie screamed and nearly slipped into the yawning hole of melting boards, beams and metal. The spell was slowly eating the building from the inside out. Irvine shouted for Selphie as he gripped her arm and helped pull her back onto the rooftop.

Irvine took one look at his friends before surveying the consuming deterioration of the floors beneath them and then finally at the startlingly green eyes that took his breath away. He closed his eyes tight at the decision he knew he would have to make. He opened his eyes completely at peace and calmly spoke to her, "Sephy," he whispered to her in that special way he always did in the bedroom, "I love you."

His tone caught her attention. Her gaze was intense as she looked at him. "What are you saying?"

"I'm going to throw you Selphie. They are going to catch you. You can't make this jump without help." He pushed her down as another round went over their heads, Fefnir serenely plodded towards them, confident his prey could not escape.

"No, no, no, no, no!" She began whimpering. "Don't do this! Come with me! We can jump together!" He brought her to the side behind a vent, another round whizzing past their position. They could hear the shouts of their friends below, deciding who would be the one to run into the compromised building and get up to the roof to save them.

"I know I'm too heavy to get enough loft on that type of jump, not without Float. You're light enough that with a burst of Aero, you could make it across. I'll come find you babe, I promise." He gripped her shoulders tight as she shook her head, tears streaming down her face before kissing her firmly on the lips unwilling to let her pull away from his affections.

At length, she drew back and slapped him across the face, "You better come back!"

Revealing a genuine smile, he tipped his cap to her before placing it upon her head. "Here's something to keep hold for me until I come back to claim it." She hiccupped in-between sobs as she held the hat tightly onto her head. It was a stupid cowboy hat but it meant the world to her now.

Determination now etched on his face, he loaded his rifle one last time before rising up behind the duct and taking aim. He fired two shots, both perfectly aimed at the head of Fefnir. Triple now present within his system, the short man pirouetted away instantaneously firing off a few volleys of his own. Ducking low as the bullets pinged off the metal and brick he grabbed Selphie by the hand and ran, crouching low across the rooftop.

They reached the edge overlooking the expanding hole, several floors below now visible to the naked eye. He hollered down, "I'm going to toss Selphie, please catch her!"

"Is he nuts?" Zell uttered flabbergasted.

"No he's not!" Rinoa exclaimed, wings sprouting forth once more.

Before they could react, he swung Selphie around before smacking her in the butt with a short blast of Aero. She practically squealed as she hurtled over the deadly remnants of the Flare spell below. All eyes grew wide when it was clear she wasn't going to make it. She would land on the final exterior wall, right where the Flare was burning it through. If she touched that, she would contract the Flare onto her own skin and it would burn her alive.

"Selphie no!" Squall barked. "Does anyone have anything to have her clear it?" Everyone frantically scanned their armbands but they had exhausted most of their stores in the previous battle.

Without a second thought and with reflexes born from years of training, Irvine unloaded all ammo in his rifle, popped two concussive rounds in and flipped the gun back into position. He took aim and fired. The two rounds clipped Selphie's shoulder, rippling a pulse wave that caused her to yelp in pain as it propelled her the remaining distance over the building structure. She fell beyond the wall and was out of sight, her friends below ready to receive her.

He breathed a sigh of relief. A searing pain plowed through his leg as he fell to a knee. Fefnir had shot him through the leg. Selphie now having recovered on the street below stared up at the ensuing altercation, blaring his name. He couldn't hear her anymore. The pain dulled his senses but heightened his resolve. He swiveled to the petite man, his hand going to his belt pouch for the last vestiges of ammunition.

The world was moving in slow motion. Selphie looked upwards as Rinoa flew higher to intercept the gun armed man. Squall yelled at her to come back down while others stood with mouths open. Irvine was bringing up his rifle to bear on Fefnir when the man put the barrel of his gun on his forehead and fired. Blood sprayed out the backside of Irvine's head as he fell unceremoniously backwards from the impact.

Selphie remembered little after that. She dimly recalled falling to the ground in a quivering, shrieking heap. She didn't remember being picked up by Quistis and Frejya or Zell following some unknown men down to the subway. She didn't observe Squall chasing after Rinoa, not wanting to lose track of her position in the air as she assaulted Fefnir with her Sorceress powers. She barely registered that they had been shoved into a lavish living cabin. The only thing she could feel with clarity as the first rumblings of the train engine rattled through its frame was the silly cowboy hat on her head.

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:** _Like a great jigsaw puzzle coming together after months of toil, this chapter had me stumped for a long time. I had all the puzzle pieces laid out in the previous chapter, but to bring them all together in the end while still giving each piece a moment to shine was a tough nut to crack. In the end, I decided it best not to detail each and every battle the three teams were enduring. I figured it would be best left up to the reader's imagination on what happened off page than to describe it since it would balloon this chapter to 25 pages or more without even progressing the overall plot/narrative! Since I knew the shocker ending well in advance of writing this chapter, my focus was rather to spend the most amount of time with those two while inter-cutting the primary events in the central square. I figured introducing the escape plan at the start of the chapter in detail would provide enough information for readers to follow along with the quick, almost vague descriptions of what was happening at the end of the chapter. Finally, to make the final scene work, I had to come up with a reason why they couldn't just 'magic' their way out of the situation. The game mechanics of junctioning provided my answer, the more they used, the less capable they became as fighters. This worked both ways and I knew it was the solution to my problem of getting these two characters in the tight spot they found themselves in. As painful as it was to let go a beloved character, I knew it would impact the rest of the protagonists most with his death. It shall be interesting to see where our heroes go from here._


	9. Chapter 9 - Strained Respite

They all had just rushed into the train. Selphie collapsed onto the couch lining the wall opposite the cabin doors. Zell swiftly set Xu down on the ground as the rest filed in. The train shuddered and began chugging down the subway tracks. It was barely a minute when everyone started shouting all at once.

"Just who were those people sir?" Said a very anxious Watts.

"How should I know?" Zell snapped; throwing off a very offensive hand placed on his shoulder. He was far more concerned with Xu and her welfare. She had yet to wake up from her comatose state since carrying her from the executioner's stand in grand central Timber.

"Aren't you the information guy of the Forest Owls?" Quistis challenged. She had heard all about Zone and Watts from the way Zell and Selphie ridiculed them the previous year after their original contract nearly locked them into a permanent job with the Forest Owls, penned by none other than Cid Kramer.

Watts scratched the back of his head embarrassed, "I am sir…er…ma'am! We're just…well, there isn't really much to go on about these people."

"Literally nothing?" Carl scoffed, leaning heavily against the cabin wall. His left ankle hurt something fierce, he had yet to ask someone to heal the injury and had no curative magic left of his own to deal with the problem.

"I can't believe that!" Toby challenged, taking a step forward towards Watts.

"Those assholes just shot one of my men!" Squall shouted, stabbing a finger toward the cabin window, flickering lights flashing by. He cupped a hand to his stomach, still reeling from the nausea resulting from the Bio. He continued in a less severe tone yet through gritted teeth, "Shot one of my friends."

"Lay off of him!" Rinoa interjected, placing herself between Squall and Watts. "They are doing the best they can."

Squall stared her down as he callously flicked his hand in Watts direction, "Irvine just got murdered in front of us and you're defending these people who could have warned us earlier about the trap in Timber?"

"We tried to warn you!" Zone began to explain.

"I said lay off of him!" Rinoa chided, eyes glaring Squall down.

"Maybe we're being too hard on them…" Frejya offered, raising a hand to console Squall.

"No!" Squall barked, loud enough for Zell to lift his eyes from Xu. Freyja backed down immediately, her eyes cast to the ground as she resumed her position alongside the cabin wall. Squall continued unabated, "The Forest Owls have connections and the access to comms that could have reached us, even enroute to Timber. Why is it they waited even after contacting Rinoa, possibly getting valuable information on these villains from her, to contact us? Why is it they waited until after we were knee deep in Timber to contact us with a potential escape route? Irvine's death did not have to happen!"

"Now you're being unreasonable!" Rinoa remarked affronted, glancing back at Zone who was suddenly cramping from some unknown stomach ache. "They just didn't have enough time to organize this train. It's a miracle at all that we're on it! They're not like you guys. They can't get things done that fast. They're not SeeD."

"You're right." Squall said resolutely. "They're not." Silence descended upon the cabin, the adrenaline from the previous hour finally dying down as the realization that Irvine was gone began to form a pit of despair in their hearts. He began again, a bit quieter now but with resolve, "Our entire operation was to get you out. As commander of Garden, my objective was to ensure that the Sorceress was not used to the wrong ends or killed in service of a successor, even if loss of life was the price of accomplishing that objective."

Rinoa crossed her arms as she regarded him, "So I'm just some Sorceress? Some 'objective' that SeeD must protect or remove at any cost? What about a girlfriend? A lover? Did you not come here just for me rather than because of what I can do?"

"Oh no…" Quistis whispered, putting a hand to her lips. Toby, Carl and Frejya immediately became interested in the drab tunnel zipping by the train.

"Here we go again." Zell mumbled under his breath, sitting cross-legged next to Xu.

Squall's face contorted as she brought up their relationship again in public. Did she not have any idea of privacy? "This is separate from my feelings on the matter! Any Sorceress is a known threat to the world in the wrong hands…"

"So now I'm a threat?" She said, uncrossing her arms and putting them roughly on her hips. Her posture was very hostile; any sane man would have backed off.

"That's not the point here! Irvine is dead and we're apparently responsible for the worldwide vilifying of SeeD! Now, Watts and Zone had contact with you…" Squall began to raise his voice.

"It is clearly the point." Rinoa clucked sardonically, raising her voice to the occasion, "You care so much more about your job than you do your own girlfriend!"

Ignoring her statement, he fired back, "Tell me what you told Zone and Watts. What did you find out…?"

"If you feel I'm such a danger to you, why not let them kill me?" She yelled, her face mere inches from his now.

"Damn it Rinoa! This is serious!" He roared angrily, his ire rampaging across his face.

"You're afraid of me." Rinoa smirked. "Isn't that right?"

"No. You're still afraid. Both of yourself and of them." Everyone stopped and stared in shock as everyone turned to Selphie. Left completely forgotten on the couch, she sat up with tears still streaming down her face. Disregarding the looks from everyone, she began her tirade, her eyes fixated on Rinoa. "You let Irvine die." Rinoa moved to interrupt, to defend herself but Selphie ignored it and kept on walking towards her, "We all saw how powerful you are in battle with your powers. You can even fly and destroy enemies with your Sorceress magic. So when I was safely on the ground, why did you not fly up to the rooftops and stop Irvine from getting shot?"

"I…I…" Rinoa was at a lost for words, backpedaling mentally to try and find some excuse for her inaction.

Selphie jabbed a finger at her, "Because you were afraid. I don't care how it happened, be it an Odine bangle or some other device, but they locked your powers away until we freed you. You hesitated in saving Irvine because you felt they would lock your powers away again and you'd be captured. You were more afraid for your own skin than that of your friends. You let Irvine die!"

"That's not…" Rinoa began.

Selphie slapped her hard across the face. Squall instinctively tried to make a move to intercept but held himself steady at the last second. He knew Selphie was in the right here. Yanking the cowboy hat off her head, she gripped it tighter in front of her breast, "Irvine was the only man that truly meant something to me and now he's dead…because of you! We all went on this stupid operation because of you! Irvine could have easily been saved by a Sorceress whose magic cannot be drained or exhausted. He died because of you!" She spat out the final words like a judgement causing Rinoa to wince visibly. "I hate you!"

Sobbing uncontrollably she ran toward the connecting tunnel to the next cabin before turning to Squall, "Please open the damn door."

He perked up a bit straighter as he leaped at her request that seemed more like an order. "Of course, Selphie."

He slid the key card Zone handed him into the door terminal. After a few satisfying beeps, the door slid open while a distraught Selphie dashed through, picking the nearest sleeping room and locking it tight behind her. The connecting door closed as everyone stood in silence in the entry cabin. Squall slowly turned around and faced Rinoa and the group.

Rinoa gripped her right elbow tightly with her hand as she sheepishly cast her gaze to the sleek, tiled flooring. "Maybe I was scared…just a little."

"Tch…a lot." Zell remarked. Rinoa glared at him.

"Not now Zell." Quistis admonished.

Crossing his arms and leaning up against the far wall, Squall coolly laid his eyes upon her, "I reviewed the tapes back at Garden. I don't blame you for the operation we were involved in like Selphie does. There was no way you could have succeeded in that battle with the lack of information you had but surely you discovered something about them while in their custody?"

All eyes turned to her. It was a question that seemed casually tossed out but it had the undertone of command. It wasn't something she could avoid answering. "Not really…no." She began haltingly. Squall's expression wilted, this was not the answer he was expecting. Seeing his look, she continued, "The last thing I remember back at Garden was being attacked by your fellow SeeD and then some cloth being placed over my face. I woke up in Timber in a jail cell."

"Well I do believe there wouldn't have been a lot of time to investigate anything about these people since her capture. It still hasn't even been a day since we found out about her execution." Quistis reasoned; trying to placate the rising tension she could see in Squall's face. Ever since Rinoa got him to open up emotionally last year, it seemed he had a hair-trigger temper. Was he always this way and just kept it bottled up inside?

Squeezing the bridge of his nose, Squall chose a different angle, "Zone. Someone mentioned you had contact with her. What happened during this conversation?"

Zone nervously looked to Rinoa, unsure if he had the permission to speak about it. Observing that she still had her eyes to the ground, he spoke timidly, "From what we could tell, they were avoiding all contact with her until the time of her execution. They transferred her from one facility to a more secure one where we made contact with her there. Outside of that, the next time we saw her was on the witch's stake."

Squall leveled his attention back on Rinoa, "So, is that true you had barely any interaction with your captors?"

She nodded her head despondently, "They would barely look at me. They placed chains on my hands and feet whenever they wanted to move me. What we heard at the podium in Timber was the most I've heard out of them since Garden."

Quistis tapped her chin in thought, "That would make sense. If you were holding someone hostage, you wouldn't want to talk to them to potentially form a relationship that would harm your objective later or reveal information that could be used to compromise your goal."

Squall uncrossed his arms as he stalked over to the window, looking beyond the grey brick whishing by. "Damn it! We're still no further in finding out who these people are and what their next move is than when we started!"

Zell huffed, "I thought we were better than this. How did they so completely destroy us when we've been training our whole lives for operations such as this?" He had meant to say more but a small murmur from Xu riveted his focus.

"They have more experience in the field." Frejya commented.

Squall regarded her incredulously, "What do you mean?"

A bit embarrassed that she was explaining how she viewed their inadequacies to her commander, she began, "It is how I saw all of you. I've only been at the academy for five years but have had limited experience in the field of combat. I may be a fully qualified SeeD but I am not even remotely prepared for war nor do I think like a good tactician." Quistis bowed her head in concurrence; she could see where she was going with this. "I feel my skills pale in comparison to all of yours."

"They did appear quite older than us. We're barely hitting our 20s." Carl chimed in.

Freyja smiled at Carl's support. "We may be skilled mercenaries with combat training but we are still teenagers. These people look like battle hardened soldiers that have had way more years than us in combat."

Quistis finished Frejya's train of thought, "The disappearances in Esthar were only documented a month ago. They only had a month to prepare for this wide-scale attack on all three Gardens. Either they have resources we still don't know about or they are so experienced in performing these types of ambitious operations that they didn't need much prep time to execute it."

Seeing that Xu had settled down peacefully again, Zell jumped back in, "We do know one thing for sure. They want to remove both the Sorceress and SeeD."

"Or anyone with magic really." Squall corrected. After a moment's pause, he looked to Zone, "Do we know where this train is ultimately headed?"

Rinoa groaned, "To Deling City, Galbadia. Right to my father."

Squall snorted, holding back a smirk. "This is going to be a lovely reunion. He put you up to this didn't he?" He inclined his head to Watts. "Did he contact you or did you contact him?"

Watts stood up straight, nearly saluting the SeeD commander, despite not having any requirement to do so, "No sir! He actually contacted us."

"Really?" Quistis marveled. "That's surprising given that he despised Rinoa's involvement in any Timber independence resistance movement."

"Of course he did." Rinoa retorted. "He always knows where and how to find me. He's like a creepy stalker but he's my dad."

Zell began counting the instances on his fingers, "Finding you out within the Forest Owls, bailing you out of D-District Prison and now securing a safe train ride back to him in Galbadia. Yeah, I can see your dad being a bit overprotective."

"Urgh! When can he just butt out of my life and let me live my own?" She roared.

"When you start acting like a responsible, unselfish woman." Squall deadpanned.

The room went silent as Rinoa fumed at Squall. "How dare you! Did our relationship really mean nothing to you? I can't believe I even gave it up to you." She brushed past him, knocking him hard with her shoulder. "Well your 'precious' Sorceress is now under your care and protection. You happy now?"

"Irvine is dead, are you happy now?" Squall countered.

She twirled on the spot towards him, "I could seriously hurt you right now Squall."

Poising a hand over his gunblade, making it abundantly clear his intentions, "Then I'll do what a SeeD must."

"Both of you just simmer down!" Quistis shouted, moving forward to break them up. "Sweet Hyne, you two are like children!"

"Or an old married couple." Toby remarked, giggling.

Quistis shot him a wrathful scowl before turning back to Rinoa, "Rinoa, just…go find a bunk and sleep today's events off."

Flicking her hair ostentatiously, Rinoa spun on her heel and went into the adjoining train compartment. As the door slid back into place and locked Zell gave out a low whistle, "I seriously thought you two were going to duke it out. I'd put my money on her."

"Not helping Zell." Quistis advised harshly. She calmly placed a hand on Squall's shoulder, feeling the trembling rage broiling inside of him. It seemed Rinoa had the talent of bringing both the best and the worst out of him. "Look, a lot has happened in the past six hours and we all need to decompress and find time to mourn for Irvine, Selphie most of all. We accomplished our objective by securing Rinoa, our Sorceress, from Timber. Whether we agree to whatever demands her father, General Caraway, will have for us is another matter and one we should discuss before we get to Galbadia. For now though, I think we all could use some rest, right Commander?"

Realizing she was putting him back into the place of authority, he shook his head free of Rinoa's influence and addressed the group, "Quistis is right. Let's move Xu to a more suitable bed than the floor and let's each of us catch a few hours of shut eye. It'll probably be at least 5 hours before we reach Deling City, more than enough time to figure out our next course of action."

With a mumbled agreement they all migrated into the adjoining compartment and began finding rooms. There were not enough cabins for each occupant so some had to double up in each room. Carl helped Zell lift Xu into their cabin with Frejya offering to sit in on Xu with Zell, just so there was an air of propriety rather than leaving him alone with her unconscious. Carl and Toby shared a bunked room while Quistis joined a rather dull, third class cabin at the end of the hall with Squall. Zone and Watts went up to the conductor's cabin and proceeded to hang out there. They had no idea where Rinoa currently was.

Squall slumped down on the red cushions of the wall couch in their room, sinking a little bit into the musty fabric. A small puff of dust sprang up around him, making him cough violently. Where did they get this old train? From a junk yard? The light bulbs in the faux extravagant wall scones were dim and the interior wallpaper was peeling in various places. The lone bed in the room didn't look very appealing either with its bleached sheets and brown stains still determined to haunt its threads. There was even a slight whistling sound originating from a small bullet hole at the edge of the cabin window.

"This seems nice." Squall jibed.

Ignoring his scathing remark about the train's condition, Quistis sat down opposite him in a velvet reclining chair. "Squall, you should know better than to act like that in front of new recruits. It gives off the wrong impression."

He clucked, avoiding her gaze as he observed intensely the exterior view. "It is like she doesn't take responsibility for her own actions!"

She frowned, "You can't fully blame her for Irvine's death. She hesitated. I believe that could have happened to any of us in the heat of the moment, especially so for her. She was not trained from a young age like us. She was scared. You can't expect her to be brave and courageous and know what to do in a split second just because she has Sorceress powers."

He flapped his hand off toward the train hallway, "You saw her! She had no trouble saving Timber civilians from their deaths back there. Why is it, when one of her friend's lives is on the line, she balks?"

Quistis shook her head, "I don't know. Maybe there is a reason or maybe there doesn't have to be. It just happened."

"It just happened." Squall repeated flatly.

A hush descended upon the room for a time as they sat still and felt the jostling of the railways beneath them. Presently, she addressed him again, "So what do you think is going on out there?"

An expression of worry finally crossed his face, "I have no idea. I'm afraid for our people. All those children will be labeled as international traitors. We're…I'm responsible for them and we let them down."

Quistis melted when she saw that he was close to tears. She couldn't recall the last time he had been so emotionally invested in something that would bring him to this point. The burden of leadership was taking its toll on Squall and the magnitude of the task before them in keeping every SeeD out there safe was casting a pall on his heart. She leaped out of her chair and sailed to his side, putting a comforting arm around him. Even as supposed, fully fledged adults, her older sisterly instincts from the orphanage never went away. When one of her orphaned brothers or sisters was miserable, she would try to lift their spirits again.

"Shhh...you can't take all the blame yourself." She reassured tenderly, "These people knew what they were doing. They counted on us to do exactly as we did and exploited our primary mission and used it against us. They were going to blame us for this massacre no matter what we did. If anyone is to blame, it is them, not us."

At her consolations his tears began to fall unbidden, "Am I really a bad leader Quistis? I brought us into this mess. I could have easily avoided the summons to Trabia and we could have been there to defend Garden." He let his head fall to her shoulder.

As shocked as she was at his gesture for comfort, her older sister instincts kicked in further. "No, no no…we couldn't have known what we were in for. We were simply not prepared. We thought we knew what we were doing but in reality they've had us on the defensive this entire time. They know more about us than we know about them." She solaced.

Wiping away his tears on his sleeve, he sat up abruptly, causing her to back up a few inches. "That's it! We need to get back to Balamb Garden and find out more about them. We need to train everyone, including the youngest children, as if we are going to war."

"We are at war now." She remarked gravely.

He nodded, taking her comment in stride. "Right. No SeeD is safe. The sooner we can get everyone spun up on combat, training and the usage of GFs, the better."

"What about those under 15? They are still too young to be junctioning with GFs. We have no idea what it will do to their memory." She didn't like this idea.

"We don't have a choice Quistis. Everyone must be battle ready when it comes time to launch an offensive. Everyone." He left little room in the discussion for a rebuttal. She just sighed and moved back to the recliner.

"We should probably get some rest. Hyne knows we'll need it when we meet with Rinoa's dad. You can claim the bed if you want. This chair is actually quite comfortable." She murmured as she crossed her fingers across her chest and shut her eyes.

Taking one look at the sheets again, he scrunched his nose, "I'd rather just take the couch instead."

He laid down upon the rank cushions, ensuring he balled up his jacket as a pillow to avoid having his hair touch the fabric. Staring at the ceiling, he listened to the rhythmic breathing of Quistis, hearing it slowly transition to a soft snore. He had no idea how long he lay there counting the dimpled tiles of the cabin roof. It seemed like forever before he finally fell asleep, gently rocked by the swaying of the train.

* * *

Xu woke up to the swelling rumble of Zell's snoring. She blinked her eyes a few times before realizing where she was. The last thing she remembered was Zell and Rinoa hovering over her, attempting to save her from her own impaling at the hands of Malthius. She rotated her head to the opposite side of the roaring motor sleeping sprawled out on the cabin couch to see Frejya sitting down with her back against the wall, utilizing her bow as support in sleeping upright.

"Fr….ejya?" She faltered, voice caught in her throat.

Frejya opened her eyes and regarded Xu before realizing she was awake. Her pupils popped open as she surged over to the bed, leaning close to Xu. "Are you all right? Do you feel any pain?"

"N…o…" She could barely utter a single word from her mouth. Her throat felt like it was on fire. She tapped her neck to indicate she was having a hard time talking.

Getting the idea, Frejya bolted to her feet and began rummaging around the myriad of drawers in the vanity situated across from the bed. She found a Deling sticky notepad and a spare pen in the top left drawer, bite marks riddled down its length. She rushed back to Xu and handed her the pad and pen before asking, "How do you feel Major?"

Struggling to contain the pain from not being able to speak, she wrote slowly on the pad. " _I've been better. My chest hurts and it feels like someone is stabbing me in my throat every time I talk._ "

"I should go tell the others you're awake!" Frejya decided to herself excitedly.

Xu gripped her arm lightly before writing another message, " _Please don't burden them on my account just yet. I'm sure everyone is recuperating from the mission._ "

Frejya sat back down puzzled, "But they'll be so excited you are well."

" _Not entirely._ " Xu wrote, tapping the pad with her pen. " _I'm afraid to even get up from the bed, lest I feel pain I've yet to experience._ "

"You're probably right." Frejya agreed. "We're going to see General Caraway at Deling City. They'll probably have some doctors look at you and see how best to handle your injuries."

There was a pause in the conversation before Xu seemingly had an inspiration and wrote in bold letters on the pad, " _You did a great out there. Good job Frejya._ "

She blushed at the praise from her superior. "Thank you Major." Another pause.

Xu glanced back over at Zell, drool slightly dripping down the side of his mouth. " _Has he been here this entire time?_ "

Frejya smiled, "He wouldn't leave your side. In fact, he helped heal your wounds and save your life."

She considered him a few moments before responding. " _That's sweet._ "

"He really does like you a lot. You two seem really cute together." Frejya complimented.

Xu made an awkward face that seemed indecipherable to Frejya. " _It wouldn't work out._ "

"Why not?" Frejya probed. Zell's attraction to Xu was legendary these past few months and she had heard about her denial of his feelings as told through Garden's extensive gossip network. "He seems like an okay guy and you could do worse than him." Xu began to hack and moan pitifully as she attempted to stifle a laugh. Frejya looked alarmed, placing a hand on Xu's arm. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you laugh and hurt yourself more!" After a beat, "Do you not like him?"

" _I do like him, but…_ " The pen hovered over the page a few agonizing moments before she finished her thought to Frejya. " _I just don't think it'd work out. He wouldn't understand._ "

"I don't understand." Frejya sat back, exasperated. She loved the idea of Xu and Zell together. She thought they made a cute couple, despite the gossip flying around Garden of her rejection for his affections. "We all think you'd be awesome together! Weren't you good friends before? Did you reject him because it would get weird between you two? If so, I'd totally understand!"

" _Please, I'd rather not talk about this anymore_." Xu scrawled wearily.

Before she could inquire further down this juicy rabbit hole, the train began slowing down as the squealing brakes could be heard applied to the wheels. The sudden deceleration jolted a very groggy Zell awake from his stupor. He practically fell off the couch trying to right himself, he lazily scanned the room before his eyes rested on Xu who was watching him.

"Holy crap! You're awake!" He laughed as he bounced off the couch and sprung to Xu's side. Her face twisted in pain as he roughly picked up her arm, trying to hold her hand. He dropped it like a hot skewer when he noticed the look on her face. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean nothing by it! I'm just happy you're still alive!"

Xu just moved her head in agreement of his feelings, she was also happy to be alive. She truly felt like she had died back in Timber. Malthius proved to be quite difficult to kill, she wondered if anyone else saw or even noticed that his arm had magically reattached itself back to his body before stabbing her with her sais. Would she even be able to communicate that to them when the time came? She needed to find out what was wrong with her voice.

Feeling a bit stroppy, Zell continued to try and make idle talk, probably realizing that she still hadn't spoken to him formally since her rejection of his feelings. "We got Rinoa back. So that's good." He nodded more to himself than in any effort to inform Xu about it. If they were all alive on the train, it was assumed their mission was successful. Squall did say all lives were expendable in the accomplishment of this objective.

"Everyone else is resting in the nearby cabins." Frejya added, displaying a weak smile. Zell gave her a look. Both were trying to avoid the elephant in the room. Xu would eventually have to find out sooner or later.

Before they could tell her about Irvine, the train came to a slow halt and the room door slid open revealing the imposing form of Squall. "It is time to go. Move out." Without another word, he paced down the hall leaving them to gather up their belongings and gently lift Xu to a sitting position on the bed.

"You think you can walk?" Zell asked helpfully.

Xu waved him off as she got to her feet. They did a surprisingly good job on healing up her wounds that it barely hurt to move. A few hours more and the rest of the pain would be eliminated completely. Pacing out the door with Frejya and Zell following, Xu looked at the other occupants exiting their cabins and followed the herd toward the entry compartment. Quistis glanced in their direction and gave a small wave before following Selphie through the connector doors, her dispositions strangely unhappy. Did something happen?

An armed escort was ready to meet them as the subway doors opened. Squall snorted as he observed the contingent approaching them, machine guns firmly in hand. Of course General Caraway wouldn't meet them personally. He would have a retinue bring them to his mansion in the heart of Deling City. Better to make it look like they were being taken prisoner for any stray video camera or reporter than to be seen consorting directly with SeeDs. That would look bad on Galbadia and be just as damning as when Galbadia Garden itself crashed into Dollet. No need for additional negative press.

"Is this all of you?" The lead guard questioned.

"Yes." Squall nodded indifferently.

The soldier nodded to his men and each of them brought out a couple pairs of screw bolt handcuffs. Zell stepped back, fists half raised. "What the hell is this?" He looked ready to punch someone.

"It's fine Zell." Squall pacified, raising an arm to stay Zell's rising anger. "Merely protocol given the circumstances, am I correct?"

The head guard looked at him, someone uncomfortably, "Yes sir. Merely a precaution."

"I understand." Quistis responded, stepping forward while offering her wrists. They wrapped the two bands around her hands, allowing the bolts to screw into each other with a satisfying beep once they were locked into place. Should she attempt to remove them, they would deliver a rather nasty shock that would make her hit the ground.

"What about us?" Zone and Watts asked simultaneously, noticing that the soldiers did not even approach them.

"We were instructed only to bring the SeeD mercenaries and his daughter. Enemies of the state do not matter." The man said condemningly as he drew out a pistol and aimed it right at Zone's head.

"Hey, what gives?" Zell exclaimed stunned.

"What did they even do?" Frejya asked confused, taking a few steps back.

"This is highly irregular. You don't just kill them, even if they are enemies of the state." Quistis warned, her eyes flashing dangerously. "They are entitled to a fair trial before the law."

"I'm under orders ma'am." He said resolutely, slowly pulling back the trigger.

"Don't hurt them!" Rinoa shouted, placing herself between Zone and the gun. Zone was visibly relieved as he broke down in sweat. She shoved her wrists in his face, "You will cuff me too."

After a moment's hesitation, he brought the gun down, "I was not ordered to bring you in restrained."

"If the intent was to ensure that the public doesn't get any wrong ideas about Galbadia consorting with either SeeD or the Sorceress, it is in your best interest to cuff me. I'm sure 'General' Caraway would agree." She gestured again with her wrists mockingly, daring him to defy her. Now back in Deling City where her father lived, her defiant nature was coming to the fore.

Looking to his subordinates, he turned back to her, noting the look of fury in Squall's face as he stood by observing the two. "As you wish." He roughly slapped the sleek, metal cuffs around her hands and pressed the button on the underside, watching as the bolts screwed themselves together making contact, initiating the electric current through the frame.

The entire group had their weapons removed and escorted at gunpoint to several limousines already lined up along the street curb. Rinoa gave one last look at Watts and Zone, watching them dejectedly as they were ushered back into the subway cabin. She hoped they were safe and her father didn't truly order for them to do something stupid to her friends. She would never forgive him for that if he did.

Xu was bunched into the side seating alongside Selphie, Toby, Zell and Frejya. Within moments they were rumbling down the paved roads in a short convoy, passing by bright neon lighting from various restaurants, stores and hotels. The sidewalks were unusually busy this time of night with multiple groups of people and families huddled together, a look of worry and anxiety etched into their faces. A lot of folks could be seen through bar windows watching the newscast from Timber of the events earlier that day. There was an air of disquiet in Deling City.

Xu noticed Selphie staring out the window, tears streaming down her face. She seemed almost a statue, given how little she moved. Unable to voice her thoughts, she turned to Frejya for answers. Capturing her attention, she inclined her head towards Selphie. Did something happen? She didn't see Irvine in their group when they exited the subway. Was he captured?

Frejya choked back her reply as she turned to Zell, pleading for help with her eyes. She dare not say it. Somehow saying it would make it true. Like what they witnessed in Timber was just a dream that they would soon wake up from. Taking the cue, he revealed to Xu the cost of their escape from Timber, "He's dead Xu. Irvine Kinneas is dead."

Zell quickly looked away as Xu drooped back into the seat. She had seen much death when defending Balamb Garden the previous night. Dozens of her friends and training cadets were killed in brutal fashion right before her eyes. However Irvine's death struck a deeper chord with her. Although they may not have graduated from the same SeeD academy, he was still part of their class year and they grew to be great friends in the past year. She gazed over at Selphie, her eyes still out the window. Hyne knows what she must be feeling right now.

At length they finally pulled up to the presidential mansion where Rinoa's father resided. The obnoxious, militant, marble structure sported two roof turrets flanking either side of the massive entry doors. Mottled columns draped down these parapets onto two separate verandas, each section adorned with multitudes of arched windows. Several flag posts jutted out from each corner of the mansion, the national flag of Galbadia swathed over them, gently blowing in the evening breeze.

Gravel crunched underfoot as the limousines stopped just before the steps leading up to the grand foyer entrance. The imposing oak doors opened wide as the butler ushered them all in. The soldiers got back in their cars and they drove off down the side toward the load garage to park them beside all the other vehicles Caraway had collected over the years.

They were guided upstairs past the expensive décor and Vidorian era architecture. Toby stared open-mouthed up at the paneled ceiling, in awe at the extravagant surroundings. Carl seemed fascinated but he had already been to Esthar and this mansion did little to strike his interest. They funneled into a guest room quite similar to the one they used the previous year during their mission to assassinate the Sorceress Edea. In fact, Squall guessed it might even be the exact same one given the dusty rose draperies adorning the windows and the agate pillars framing the seafoam wall paneling.

"The master will see you shortly. Please wait here. My name is Jarl should you need anything." The butler intoned before walking over to Squall and utilizing a key to unhinge the cuffs around his wrists. Placing the key in Squall's hands, he did a courteous bow before leaving the room and locking the door silently behind him.

"Of course he would make us wait." Rinoa snarked as she slammed herself down onto a plush, velvet chair closest to the end of the mahogany table that occupied the center of the room. Her eyes followed Squall as he unlocked each person's cuffs before coming to her last.

"At least they provided some tea and crumpets!" Carl offered cheerfully as he happily plopped down next to the pretentious serving tray. He grabbed a few pastries before pouring himself a cup of steaming liquid.

Seeing no rebuttal from Squall or Quistis, Frejya, Toby and Zell rushed in to grab a few morsels to eat of their own. Selphie wanted none of it and preferred to sit along the wall in one of the chairs not bordering the table. Xu noticed this and decided it best to keep her distance as well from the commotion around the table. After a few minutes, Rinoa broke down and poured herself a cup to settle her taut nerves, anything to avoid making eye contact with Squall. He just observed it all but remained quiet, leaning up against the wall closest to the door with arms crossed. How many times had they sat in rooms just like this one waiting on mission contracts?

A flicker of movement caught his eye as he saw Xu pass a note to Frejya. "Major, please hand me that notepad." He ordered calmly, holding out his hand. Bowing her head slightly, she did as ordered and gave it to him. He looked down and read, " _Are we not going to address Irvine's death?_ "

He sighed heavily, folding the pad and giving it back to Xu, seemingly unaware she wrote it because she could not talk. "Out of respect for Selphie, there will be a time and place to mourn and discuss the circumstances of Irvine's death." Selphie gazed over at him through puffy eyes. "As harsh as it sounds, we should focus on the way ahead and Garden's survival. He would not want us to mope about over him and waste his sacrifice." He nodded in her direction noting a small flicker of a smile before pushing off the wall as they heard a jingling of keys outside the door.

A slightly older man with black hair interweaved with strands of grey stepped through the threshold. His aged face held the slight trace of forthcoming wrinkles that helped further define his imperious demeanor. Rinoa's father was no longer wearing his formal army greens complete with medal regalia, patches and rank. Instead he was sporting a rather form fitting suit of black complete with brown necktie and a tan undershirt as befitting his new rank of Galbadian president. His boots barely squeaked as he stepped to the center of the room to regard them all.

Brushing back one of his long bangs to the side of his face, his raptor gaze settled on his daughter. With an unyielding tone of a father he commanded, "Rinoa, you will go outside with Jarl and have him escort you back to your bed chambers. There you will find more appropriate dress for you laid out on the bed. You will change into those."

She scrunched her nose in irritation, brushing down her ankle length duster sweater. He said each sentence like an instruction that could not be refuted or ignored. As if she had no choice in the matter! She leaned back and settled into her chair as she crossed a leg and folded her arms across her breast. "Dad! When will you stop treating me like a little girl that can't do anything for herself! I am an adult here too!"

As much as Rinoa tried to sound mature, it came off rather juvenile. Summarily ignoring her outburst, he continued harshly. "You are in danger outside Galbadia now. You will remain here in my home until such time we can transfer you to a safer location. I only allowed you to stay with SeeD on the terms that you were well taken care of." His eyes flitted over to Squall before returning to Rinoa. "Now that I see it is no longer a place of protection, I had to secure other means of getting you back." He nearly hesitated on the last few words, clearly uncomfortable to resorting to resistance factions such as the Forest Owls to get the job done.

"With all due respect sir," Squall began, stepping up to him. "Rinoa was perfectly safe at Garden and with enough preparation we could have defended her."

With hands clasped behind his back, Caraway rounded on Squall, "Yet you didn't! I saw my daughter on live television at the stake with you hanging by a noose for the whole world to see!"

"She's here now isn't she?!" Zell bellowed, leaping up.

"Zell, please. Calm down." Quistis stepped aside to help Zell back to his seat.

Frejya leaned over to whisper to Carl, "How did that get out of Timber? I thought we were jamming the air waves?" Carl shrugged.

"Commander Squall," Caraway said, addressing him formally. "As leader of SeeD, I would have expected a tighter muzzle on your troops, yet you let them speak out of line."

"Dad! Stop harassing them!" Rinoa fired back, rising from her chair as well.

"Can I kick his ass Rinoa?" Zell seethed, his fingers flexing and itching to punch.

"We'll be doing none of that." Squall roared, slicing a hand through the air to emphasis the point. With the help of Toby, both him and Quistis settled Zell back into the chair; each person lightly but firmly placing a hand on his arms. Xu wanted to intervene as well but did not know if she had the voice to break up the conflict.

Caraway continued his invective, "Because of you my daughter was captured and sentenced to die on live television. Because of SeeD, Galbadia is now at war with both Dollet and Timber."

"We had nothing to do with Galbadia Garden-" Carl began, trying to explain.

Caraway cut him off, "If it were not for the summons from Esthar early this evening, I would have you all shackled and tried for treason and in direct violation of the peace treaty!"

The room went quiet at his accusations until Selphie spoke up, dissolved from her lonesome reverie, "You said a summons from Esthar?"

"Jarl!" He barked. The butler shuffled in a small trolley with a television fixed atop of it by straps. He plugged the cord into the wall and turned it on, a slight hum filling the air. "Show them the recordings from earlier."

With a press of a button, images flashed onto the screen as everyone stood transfixed. They saw as reporters were filming Rinoa and Nida up on the wall battlements of Balamb Garden, of how Nida needlessly attacked and killed several civilians on camera. The scene shifted to Trabia where a pitched battle was raging in Unity Square. It looked like SeeD members were actively cutting down Trabia citizens and blasting them up against the colossal arch towering over the plaza.

"It was a setup?" Quistis inhaled, raising a mouth to her lips.

"Son of a bitch." Zell exclaimed, shaking his head. "I knew something was up when we found civilians dressed up as SeeDs. They staged that whole massacre to film it as propaganda against us!"

"Theros no doubt had a hand in their actions." Squall susurrated.

Frejya's voice trembled as subsequent images appeared, "What is this?"

Multiple film crews were capturing a mob pulling and dragging several young teenagers out of a car. Every person kicking and beating on them with whatever was available; blood began flying everywhere as their bodies turned to nothing but pulp under the deluge of blows. They watched reporters gleefully netting 'awesome' footage of young, freshly graduated SeeD mercenaries being impaled upon stakes up to their throats as gaggles of people danced and sung around their fidgeting corpses.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Carl burped as he looked away, hoping to see some sort of trash can in the corner of the room.

Leaving the horrific images of what was going on worldwide playing on the television, Caraway spoke, "Because of all these broadcasts painting you as enemy of the free world, there is a global pogrom of all things SeeD and anything to do with the Sorceress. Timber was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Within the past six hours, any SeeD who is not safely in Galbadia or Balamb Garden is being hunted down and killed. Any civilian losses as a result of any SeeD defending themselves only adds to the judgement placed upon you all."

"Dear Hyne." Quistis prayed.

He raised a finger to quell Squall's rising rage at what was happening to his people, his friends. "I would have also believed the same as the common public had not President Laguna sent me a message to summon the entire SeeD force to Esthar…for protection."

Squall stood puzzled, "I don't understand. Why would he do that?"

Unclasping his hands, he gestured to Squall, "President Laguna believes that you are innocent and all these terrorist actions are not your doing. He provided a few more pieces of classified information to me but the fact of the matter is that he wants you all in Esthar where he can explain this situation to you in person."

"Do you think a mistake was made somewhere and now he's trying to correct it?" Zell pondered.

"Quite possibly." Quistis said. "The first anomalies originated in Esthar before moving to the western continent. It would make since that President Laguna would be aware of it."

"Why didn't he contact us sooner? Why now and why through Caraway?" Toby asked innocently.

"That is President Caraway now." He said, giving Toby a withering glare. "As I am to understand, Garden has a means of transportation that can cross oceans. You do understand that I cannot affiliate myself any further with you as I try to salvage this disaster. All I can offer is a few helicopters you can use tomorrow to carry you back to Balamb under the cover of dark. We will send pilots with you to return them once at your destination."

"What about our weapons?" Quistis pressed.

He considered her a moment, "They will be returned upon your departure. Do not worry, they are in safe hands."

The tapping of Rinoa's fingers on the table was steadily getting louder, "I'm just as responsible for this mess as SeeD is. I have to help correct it. I'm going with them."

"You will not!" Caraway bayed, situating a hand conspicuously behind his back.

"Rinoa, stop!" Squall ordered.

Disregarding his warning, Rinoa stomped up to her father, energy crackling between her fingertips. "I am a Sorceress! Or have you forgotten? I will be leaving here with Squall and the others back to Balamb and there is nothing you can-"

Before anyone could react, her father unhooked a special cuff of silver with pulsing blue light running through its heart and slapped it onto his daughter's wrist. Instantly she collapsed to the ground as her entire power was cut off. "And I know you stashed several odds and ends of Odine's brand in your room, such as the Odine bangle, advertised to suppress a Sorceress' powers. Or have you forgotten?"

Squall, Zell and Toby were across the room. Zell was readying a fist to ram it into her dad's temple. Squall jerked him close by the collar as Toby reached for the pressure points just beneath the base of his skull. Quistis shouted over the din, "Everyone just calm down!"

Caraway smirked, "Go right ahead and try and kill me. Remove the last remaining friend in your corner this side of the world and see what happens to Balamb." Squall's eyes dilated as the realization kicked in. He let go of his lapel and backed off, signaling the others to do the same. Standing up tall before brushing down his suit, he lifted his daughter back up to her feet. "That is better."

"Daddy…why?" Rinoa moaned, looking completely defeated. Her arms limp in her father's hand.

"I made the mistake once of thinking a simple door lock could hold you. I already lost your mother. I cannot afford to lose my daughter too." He uttered, trying to sound loving and concerned.

"You've already lost me." Rinoa said wretchedly, not caring to look her father in the eye.

He sniffed loudly with impatience but quickly hid it under a façade of discipline, "You may stay here for the night but you will prepare to leave on the morrow back to your Garden. I am keeping my end of the bargain by giving you shelter and a place to recuperate."

"You cannot protect her." Squall cautioned sternly, "She is marked by death by these people who would slander our good name. Not to mention that she is a Sorceress and technically our problem to deal with."

"I know that!" Caraway bellowed. He readjusted his bangs and straightened himself up, suddenly aware of his position and standing and attempting to regain some sense of composure. "I know what SeeD's purpose is and having her in your custody as a 'partner' is highly antagonistic to your objective. You have her hiding within the walls of your facility like a dog with ever-watchful eyes on her night and day in case she turns on you." Rinoa met Squall's eyes at this. Was there truth to the words her father said? Was she nothing more than a dangerous object to keep track of? She didn't know anymore.

"It is not like that…" Quistis became to explain.

"Is it?" Caraway challenged. "Then why is it that I have not heard hide nor hair of my daughter for almost a year until her capture? You've clearly been trying your best to keep knowledge of her living among SeeD a secret."

"What would you have us do?" Squall countered, folding his arms, looking disdainfully at Caraway. He never did like her father; something about him always seemed a bit off. "Rinoa is our friend and wouldn't hurt anyone without cause. That's more than I can say if she was killed by someone else and her powers transferred to someone less than trustworthy."

Caraway clucked, "Friend? More like you appointing yourself guardian of her. Fucking my daughter and making her believe you love her so that she would be compliant in assisting SeeD." The effect of her father's words clearly had an impact on Rinoa as she took a sharp breath. Squall's eyes were ablaze. "She's already in enough trouble as it is without being attached to people like you." He pointed a finger at Squall. "You will leave on the morrow and you will leave my daughter here. Jarl!"

With his shout, he handed a very lethargic Rinoa over to his butler as he serenely guided her back to her old bedroom. She gave one last fleeting glance at Squall, anguish in her eyes. His heart wanted to break but he was torn between his feelings for her and his duty to prevent her from falling into the wrong hands. Was her own father the wrong hands? He wasn't so sure.

Satisfied his daughter was secure, he turned back to the group, "Good evening and have a restful sleep. My servants will be along shortly to assist you in retiring for the night. Do not come calling again." With a small bow of the head, he shut the door and paced down the hall, his footsteps retreating into the mansion.

"That asshole." Toby derided.

"You said it." Frejya giggled a little.

His attention redirected back to his crew, Squall faced them. "We may be in a safe place temporarily but make no mistake we are still in enemy territory."

Zell jibed, "Yeah, I wouldn't trust him either if he was my dad."

Xu passed Squall a note, " _Are we going to get Rinoa back?_ "

Quistis picked up on Xu's silence, "Major…is everything all right?"

Xu shook her head and patted her throat. Frejya filled in the detail morosely, "She's lost her voice. That injury to her throat damaged her vocal chords."

Zell's cry was strangled by some lump in his own throat, "Her what? I can't believe we didn't even think about that! We were so focused on closing up her open wounds we didn't think to even check her for that!"

Quistis offered, "Maybe we could help mend it now that we know?"

Squall shook his head, "It won't work." He tapped the scar on his nose. "Even if you tried healing this, it is too far set to be removed completely. I'll always have this scar. The damage to her voice should have been healed sooner. If you try now, you may only regain partial functionality of it. Magic can only do so much."

"Shouldn't we at least try?" Carl suggested.

"Who here has any remaining Cures and Regens to do this?" Squall prodded. They all stared at each other stunned. Had they all used their entire stores of each just to survive Timber? At length, he continued, "My point exactly. It may be some time yet before we can draw more to use on Xu but as much as I hate to admit it, by that time it may be too late for her voice."

Quistis and Frejya rushed over to Xu as she broke down crying in her chair, her weeping somewhat muffled and forcibly restrained. Realizing he could do nothing to comfort her, Zell locked eyes on Squall, "So what do we do now?"

"We return to Balamb tomorrow as directed." Squall stated flatly.

"And Rinoa?" Zell persisted. It was clear he didn't want to lose her either. She was also his friend.

"We will bring her along as well. She isn't staying here, regardless of what her father wants." He said menacingly.

"Hell yeah!" Zell whooped, throwing a fist into the air.

"And what about them?" Carl pointed at the television, still perched on the trolley, its images displaying horrific acts of violence on their SeeD brethren. "Why would they do something like this? Haven't we done enough good in the world? Don't they remember that?"

Selphie spoke up, surprising everyone due to her low profile in the corner. "People are stupid. They'll believe anything if told enough times by enough people. These news reports are being broadcast hourly and showing multiple instances of events staged completely against us. Of course people will be scared and will want to know they are safe from us."

Squall lifted himself off his chair and walked over to her, placing a protective arm around her shoulders. She gratefully snuggled into his side as she took comfort in knowing Squall had her back. "Selphie is right. These are scared people out there, being fed false and deadly information. They just want someone to blame. As of right now, we are at war with the world and our objective is to get the Sorceress Rinoa back into our hands and deliver her and the rest of SeeD safely back to Esthar. Maybe President Laguna has a better grasp on things."

Quistis chuckled a bit, "To think we are returning to a place where Sorceresses were once feared as the only place of refuge for her."

Squall smirked, "Don't think the irony is lost on me either."

* * *

 _The hardest parts of this chapter was actually the initial fallout of Irvine's death and the great argument and discussion just as they were getting on the train AND how to properly end the chapter on a note that felt conclusive for the chapter. I knew that there would be a lot of fighting, blame, and confusion between our heroes with regards to what exactly happened in Timber and to Irvine. A clear divide is drawn between our heroes, one that'll slowly see itself played out and will hopefully pay off in quite a few story points later down the road. The conversation with Caraway at the end could have gone on for several pages more but I knew I needed to trim it down to the bare essentials and get across to the reader what the stakes were now for SeeD. It is a dangerous world out there, caused in part by our villains. It will be a long, exciting road for Squall and co. to reclaim their good name and set history back on course if they ever have a hope as a mercenary force of being around in time to face Ultimecia in the future._


	10. Chapter 10 - Underlying Causes

Squall bolted upright, tossing the sleeping covers off his body, his entire skin glistening with sweat. He felt like vomiting. He shook with an uncontrollable rage and fear. In his mind's eye, he could see himself looking up at the rooftops of Timber, watching Fefnir calmly rest his barrel on Irvine's forehead. Before anyone could do anything, a visceral spray of blood and brain matter spewed out the back of Irvine's head as he toppled backwards to the paved rooftop.

Placing his head into his heads, Squall struggled to maintain control over his emotions and fought back the tears that were threatening to overwhelm him. He thought he had gotten past all this. During the war with Ultimecia not even a year ago, he was resistant to opening up to others in fear that he'd get hurt once again by losing them due to combat, abandonment, disease or some other calamity. Rinoa and his friends in Garden helped him come to terms with his paranoia and he began to rely on them more, depend on them more. Every day was a trial but he finally felt he was making some progress.

Then Irvine died. He thought he could weather a loss like that and maintain control over the group and be the leader they needed, that SeeD needed. In the heat of the moment, he hadn't had time to process the previous day's events. Now that it was the crack of dawn, the first slivers of sun twinkling over the horizon, the full gravity of it hit him in the chest like a freight train. He could barely breathe as he contemplated life without Irvine. They had only known each other for a short while after remembering they had gone to the same orphanage together as children, but it seemed he had lost a life-long friend. This never used to affect him the way it did now. He derided himself, he really had changed.

Was there more he could have done to prevent his death? Should he have tried using magic to put himself onto that roof and confront Fefnir himself? Was Selphie right in that Rinoa hesitated purposefully in what would have been an easy rescue mission for her? Was she just as scared as when she first found out about being a Sorceress? Scared of what they wanted her for and so hesitated in putting herself back into their line of fire? Hell, they were all scared, although he wouldn't admit it publicly in front of the others. This worldwide pogrom of SeeD was disturbing enough, but to know that that antagonistic sentiment was already brooding under the surface of the general populace was shocking.

"Can't sleep?" A subdued voice murmured from the side.

Squall craned his head to see the silhouette of Toby, slowly rising from his spread on the floor. There were only two bedrooms offered by President Caraway. Although protests were made by Carl and Toby, he silenced them both by saying the girls were to get the beds. Quistis nodded her head graciously as she took Xu with her to one room while Selphie and Frejya took the other. He summoned Jarl to provide sheets and extra pillows as the men settled in for the night in the very room they were briefed by Caraway. The floor wasn't exactly comfortable but it was better than sleeping outside.

Squall bowed his head, "No. Had a nightmare."

"I reckon you don't want to talk about it." Toby asserted, nodding as he got an affirmative grunt from Squall. The pall of Irvine's memory was heavy on their minds.

The loud snores of Zell became painfully evident as the adrenaline started ebbing away. Carl was just stirring as Squall put on his t-shirt and rummaged around in the dark for his pants. It was probably for the best they all wake up early and proceed with the plan before commandeering the helicopters and heading for Balamb. Caraway most likely wouldn't like what they had planned and they were to expect resistance on his part.

"You're a relatively new recruit aren't you?" Squall asked casually, trying to make conversation to get his mind off Irvine as he stuffed a leg down his pants.

"Yes sir." Toby replied. "Joined about six years ago and graduated from SeeD last year just after you all returned from battling Ultimecia; more of like an in-the-field promotion in all honestly."

Squall grinned as he began buckling up his belts, "Were you an orphan as well like the majority of Garden?"

Toby waved a hand to dismiss the perception, "Nah, I was born in Winhill and moved to Balamb. I wanted to make a difference in the world than be stuck back in some podunk town doing nothing with my life. I figured becoming a SeeD was the best way to make a name for myself."

"Winhill, you say?" Squall arched an eyebrow. Zell snorted, startling Carl awake.

"Yeah. I hated it there. I heard from travelers and newspapers about the great mercenaries of SeeD that would enter into military service to Galbadia or Dollet and become renowned heroes. I wanted to be like them, to be like you." Toby finished wistfully.

Squall scoffed as he offered an arm to a very groggy Carl, shifting him up onto his feet. "Well with the way things are going now, I can hardly tell that type of opinion is popular these days."

Toby looked down mournfully as he picked up his coat draped across the table. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I never expected to be hated just because of what I could do or who I was affiliated with."

Zell snorted again, jostling himself awake. "Whazt I mizz?" He fumbled as he tried to right himself on the sofa he had flopped himself onto.

"Nothing." Squall smirked, shaking his head. Although he had thought Zell quite annoying at first meeting and sometimes he still was, the goofy loon did always manage to bring a smile to his face with his over-enthusiasm. "I was just asking about Toby here. I realized that I know very little about the students in the very Garden I command. I felt it necessary to ask questions about who they are and how they came to Garden."

"Necessary, huh?" Zell laughed, rubbing his arm across his face to wipe the drool lingering down the sides of his mouth.

"Yes." Squall stated matter-of-factly before turning to Carl, still stumbling through the motions of dressing himself. It seemed he was quite the heavy sleeper. "Carl, how did you come to be in Garden?"

He finished pulling down his shirt before responding to Squall, "I was stupid." After a furrowed look from his commander and a short purposeful cough from Zell, he swiftly clarified. "What I meant was: I did it on a dare."

"A dare? What the hell does that mean?" Zell boomed, only to be shushed quickly by the others. Looking slightly off put, he continued at a lower decibel, "Do you mean to tell me you do not have pride in what you do? In being a SeeD?"

The accusations stung and Squall's penetrating gaze was searching his own for answers. Faltering slightly, Carl peeped, "I do have pride…well, I do now." A slight pause. "My two older brothers convinced me to join SeeD when we were young. The moment we came of age, they began beating their chests and claiming how cool it would be to be part of the world's elite fighting force." He scowled as his eyes wandered to the floor. "My parents were so proud. Although not following in our father's footsteps in the Galbadian military, he approved just the same of their chosen vocation. It was all but decided I should go with them. I didn't really have a choice in the matter; my brothers kept pestering and daring me to go along."

"You always have a choice." Squall intoned, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the edge of the table. "A choice to act or to refrain." He fought to keep the image of Rinoa hesitating beside him as they watched Irvine die. Was it by his order she refrained from acting or by her own choice?

Carl raked a hand through his flaming rosy hair, "I wish it were that easy. Although we were living in Galbadia, one of the most prosperous nations in the world, we were below the poverty line. Our father was scrounging from paycheck to paycheck, trying to make ends meet even after his retirement from the military. Because we were not born into money," he gestured around the room nervously, "we felt it was our familial duty to support our family and enlist in Garden."

"Where are your brothers now?" Toby prodded. He had been training with Carl for some time but had just now discovered that Carl had siblings.

Carl gazed out the window forlornly, "They're dead. They were in Trabia Garden last year when the Galbadian missiles struck. Killed by their own country. I lost contact with my parents after that. I feel like the fact I survived and my brothers did not became such a burden to them that they didn't want to speak to me anymore. They don't respond even when I send them monthly checks out of my pay."

Silence descended upon the room as Squall absorbed the information. Zell was the first to break the suppressing hush. "I'm sorry man. That sucks."

Carl tried his best to shrug off the memories, "It's okay. I'm staying in because of my commitment to my parents…and for the memory of my brothers."

Squall nodded his head in sincere understanding. Carl held a façade of joyful mirth and friendliness to a point where it became obtrusive. It was a cover for his own mixed feelings about being in SeeD and his insecurities of if he was even worthy to follow in his brothers' footsteps. Fastening the gunglade sheathe to his side, he paced over to Carl before settling a firm hand on his shoulder, "You are a fine SeeD Carl. You held your own in Timber and fought off an opponent far greater than any we had to face in our first mission as freshly graduated SeeDs. I have no doubt you'll become someone your parents can be proud of."

Carl looked up into Squall's eyes and smiled, even if he truly didn't feel like it. "Thanks sir. I appreciate it."

Squall grinned back, "Just call me Squall." His face went serious suddenly as his eyes roved over the grandfather clock across the room. He pivoted to Zell as he motioned for him to get ready, "It is time we put this plan into motion. The sun is rising and soon the rest of the house residents will be up. We need to get Rinoa out of here before our chance passes us by. Will you go and see if the ladies are awake?"

"Heck yeah I will!" Zell bounced up, punching a fist into the air before dashing out the door.

"Oh and Zell?" A tuft of spiky, blonde hair leaned back into the doorframe, indicating he was listening. "Wake Quistis up first and let her get the others." They could visibly see Zell's deflated countenance through the wall. Squall knew he was excited about Xu and just excited that she was okay after what happened yesterday.

He turned to the other two, signaling them to finish getting dressed. "I want you two to be prepared to go as soon as Zell gets back with Rinoa. We may have to fight our way out of here and make Galbadia our enemy once again. Are you going to be okay with that?" He inclined his head toward Carl.

"I'm going to have to be." He lamented.

* * *

Quistis was roused from sleep by the slight movement of drapery, allowing a flash of sunlight to splash across her cheek. Although the girls were split between the two available bedrooms, it appeared they had all piled into the one she shared with Xu. She was not aware of how long they had been awake but it was clear it had been a quite a while since they were in a heated discussion.

Prying an eye open, she spied Selphie sitting in the alcove of the bay window overlooking the front grounds complete with its pools of water and fountains. It seemed she was half listening to Frejya's words, absently nodding every few seconds. Xu stood nearby with her arms crossed, fully dressed with a notepad held in one hand and a pen situated behind her ear poised and ready to write down her thoughts should it add to the conversation.

Xu glanced over at Quistis to see her staring at them. She swiftly tapped Frejya's shoulder to direct her attention. She smiled as she got up from the window bench and walked over to the plush covered bed, "Morning Col Trepe." She tried to wave off the formal greeting but was steamrolled by Frejya. "We've been up for a few hours. I couldn't sleep much and I don't think Selphie slept a wink! I think we're just anxious about getting home to Garden. Xu was already awake when we came in and we were just talking about waking up the boys."

"What time is it?" Quistis murmured, signaling for someone to close the drapes, if only just enough to get the rising sunlight out of her eyes.

Xu swiftly whipped her pen down to the pad before handing it to her, " _It is just past 0600 in the morning._ "

Quistis nodded before sitting up, letting the sheet slip off her body. Frejya's cheeks went crimson as she stuttered and quickly faced towards a random wall. "Um…er..ma'am! If I'd have known you slept like that, I wouldn't have intruded on your privacy. I just thought…"

Quistis shared a look with Xu, responding with some humor, "What? Naked?"

Frejya casted a furtive stare at Xu before resuming her steadfast examination of the striped wallpaper. "I mean…didn't you share a bed with…? Selphie and I did. We…it…"

Quistis raised a hand to calm her, she was clearly embarrassed. She had to wonder what her upbringing was to react this strongly to the situation. "Frejya, we are all grown women here…well almost." She gave a lilting laugh. "I am comfortable enough with who I am and I am confident Xu is too. We had no problems sharing the bed last night. I'm actually just thankful Squall had the others accept the notion that us females take the bedrooms. It was awful nice of him. I had half expected to be camping out on the floor alongside them. Besides," She yawned, stretching out her arms, completely at ease, which only made Frejya flush harder, "it is so very comfortable sleeping without clothes. I get all hot and sweaty otherwise."

"If you say so." Frejya commented, her body rigid and tense, absently rubbing down the wrinkles in the nightgown she had borrowed from the wardrobe in their room.

Quistis cocked her head at Frejya's drastic reaction. Shaking her head, she motioned for Xu to hand over her salmon colored vest, skirt and undergarments. No need to continue to make the girl uncomfortable. "You are right though. Time is of the essence here. We should definitely get dressed and wake the-"

All heads swiveled to the door as Zell busted in, looking rather distressed. His eyes meandered about the room taking in each of the ladies in turn before finally resting on Quistis's breasts. Within seconds, various articles of clothing, boots and even pillows were thrown at Zell as Frejya yelped at being seen in a nightgown.

"Get out!" Quistis commanded, drawing up the covers over herself.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Ouch!" Zell apologized, warding off projectiles with his arms. "I noticed that Selphie's…ow…door was ajar and saw that they were not in there! Hey…not the face!" He backed up further into the hall. "I was worried you all had left to execute the operation without us!"

"Get out!" She repeated with more venom.

"Tch, fine!" Zell conceded; shutting the door quickly as the last piece of clothing slammed up against the wood.

"I think you're right." Frejya deadpanned, gazing over in Xu's direction. "It wouldn't work out."

Xu nearly strangled herself trying to laugh since it hurt so much. She had to wave off Frejya's attempt at apologizing knowing full well she didn't mean for her to laugh and irritate her healing throat. She scrawled quickly on the pad and handed her the paper before walking over to gather up Quistis's clothes she had thrown. " _He may be a dumbass but I don't hate him_."

Without a word, Selphie got up and stalked out of the room. She passed by the nonchalant Zell, leaning up against the wall alongside the door, trying his best not to look ashamed. Ignoring his remorseful eyes, she walked back to her room and got dressed before stepping past him and back into Quistis and Xu's room, shutting the door behind her.

Quistis looked up from fastening the final buckle on her belt, having fully dressed in her absence. A look of concern crossed her face as she regarded Selphie, "Are you sure you are up to this? I could take your place if you want."

She shook her head vigorously, her curls bobbing wildly. "No. You wouldn't know how to work the computers as well as I do."

Quistis grinned, "I'm not that inept Selphie…"

She shrugged, "It is only the truth. Squall was right last night. There is no better person for the job than me. Zell and I should be fine."

Nodding, Quistis warned, "Be quick and be safe. Be sure to pick up Carl on your way to Caraway's office, no doubt he'll have it locked. We'll meet you at the helicopter pad in fifteen minutes, make sure you are there. We should have our weapons back by then too."

Affirming her comprehension, she reopened the door and punched Zell in the arm. "Ow!" He smarted, rubbing the bruised muscle. "What'd you do that for Selphie?"

"For barging in on us, you should know better than that!" She folded her arms crossly.

"Hey, I said I was sorry! When I didn't see you guys in the room earlier, I thought something had happened or the plan had changed. So I was worried I may not find you here." Zell tried fruitlessly to explain.

"No excuse!" She punched him again; she sure had gotten really mean of late. He couldn't really blame her though. She had just lost Irvine the previous day, they all did. "Where's Carl? Wasn't he supposed to be with you?"

"Um…he wasn't fully ready yet." Zell offered.

"Oh, so it's okay for us girls to not be fully ready when people barge in but it's okay for guys to take their time in privacy? No, we get him now. I don't care what state of dress he's in! He should have been ready hours ago!" She yanked on his jacket as she ushered him forcefully down the hall. He hadn't the nerve to protest her bubbling animosity.

* * *

"Is she always this scary when she's mad?" Carl whispered tersely as he rubbed his cuffed ear tenderly, trying to focus on picking the lock on Caraway's office.

Zell whispered back, "Only once before and I wouldn't even call it being mad, more like determined. We were infiltrating the Galbadian missile base and she basically took charge of the whole operation. She was wild and destructive in blowing up the entire base." He grinned just remembering the trouble they got into while undermining the Galbadian's plot to launch missiles at Balamb Garden.

Carl's eyes dilated as he listened to the crazed exploits of Selphie, imagining her single-handedly taking down an entire missile base. "Wow. Better not piss her off then!"

Seeing the opportunity to embellish, Zell pressed with the attack, "Oh, you better not! She once threatened to skin a Moomba alive and wear its pelt as a disguise!"

"Shut up Zell!" Selphie hissed, "I can still hear you!" Shaking her head aggressively at their idiocy, she resumed her post at the corner of the wall, monitoring the adjacent hallway for any potential problems.

Zell smirked before resuming his observation of Carl's lock picking technique. He had always wanted to know how it was done but to this day, even while watching Carl directly, it still mystified him. As a mechanic junkie, a simple lock shouldn't be too far outside the realm of his expertise, yet is strangely was. A satisfying click heralded success. Zell quietly whistled for Selphie's attention, "He got it! Come on over!"

They all shuffled inside, expeditiously closing the door behind them and locking it. Selphie jabbed a finger at Carl, "Make sure no one gets in until I'm finished."

"Yes Ma'am!" He gulped.

Without a word, she swept around the imposing oak desk with various globes, awards, pen holders and decorations. She scoffed at how invested Caraway was in himself. She scanned the bookshelves, the desktop and the coffee tables in the room. "It has got to be here somewhere."

Zell glanced around, "You mean his laptop? Yeah…you would think he'd keep it close by in his office."

Zell began to check the dressers while Selphie rummaged through his desk drawers. After a few seconds, she called Zell back over as she pulled out a thin, sleek, silver laptop from the bottom desk drawer, hidden beneath a false drawer flooring. "He may be crafty, but I'm more so!" She susurrated with a menacing glint in her eye, a look Zell had not seen since their Galbadian missile base operation. Selphie was on a mission and nothing was going to stop her!

With a yank, she opened the laptop and set it down onto the desk before pulling up the black, plush leather chair to sit in. After sinking comfortably into its folds, she began booting up the device to its start-up maintenance menu before initiating a series of program protocols that would enable her to hack into Caraway's computer. Zell, with his arm resting on the back of the chair, leaned over to marvel at Selphie's expert technique.

"Think you can get in?" He wondered aloud.

She snorted, "Of course! I single-handedly revamped the entire Garden network even after the previous administrator left it a shambles and without even relaying his codes to access it! I can certainly do this!" Her fingers still tapping furiously on the keyboard, she descended into silence, her eyes intent on the screen.

"Aren't we here just looking for a key to get Rinoa out of her room?" Carl queried.

Zell looked up, "Yeah but this whole house is on its own separate network. Rinoa told us this the last time we were here. Although a key could open up her door, I don't think Caraway would leave it lying around, even in his office. So we'll just utilize his computer to access the network and unlock the door remotely!"

Carl didn't have a response to that, he had seen something similar in Trabia Garden before it was destroyed. A system of locks and doors tied to a central network control. So having it within a single household wasn't completely farfetched. He had thought of another question when Selphie interrupted him, "Booyaka!" She exclaimed excitedly, "I'm in!"

"Oh wow…" Zell gaped impressed, gazing over the unfamiliar screen layout.

Selphie scrunched her nose in disgust, "How backwater, still using the Doorways operating system." Shaking her head at the absurdity of the Galbadian President using five year old tech, she got straight to work. She scanned the icons on the desktop until she found the program linking the laptop to the house security network. "Bingo! I found it." She exclaimed as it opened up to a wireframe blueprint of the Caraway mansion, complete with 3D controls to maneuver the view around to look at the house from all sides.

"Where would Rinoa's room be?" Zell wondered as they beheld the multitude of guest rooms, meeting rooms and bedrooms scattered throughout the mansion.

Selphie ignored the question and kept scanned the menu bar for options until she found the selection that presented movement blips on the screen. Tapping a key lit up multiple dots throughout the structure, some moving, others staying still. There must have been multiple sensors set up all throughout the mansion. Just how paranoid was Caraway anyway?

Zell pointed a finger at a small string of blips heading downstairs towards the back entrance to the helipad. "There's the gang now, being escorted no doubt. We don't have much time!"

Dismissing the entire bottom level, she scanned the upper floors until she found a lone blip of movement, barely registering in the center of a bedroom. "There." She said firmly, indicating the renegade movement marker. "That is Rinoa's room." After a few more button clicks she nodded, "Her room is now unlocked. You and Carl should head over there now and rescue Rinoa before any guards come to figure out where we've gone."

"What about you?" Carl interjected from the far side of the room, a look of worry on his face. He didn't really like this subterfuge much and loathed the idea of making his own country his enemy.

Selphie gave him a firm look, "I'll be fine. Head back with Zell and get Rinoa. I got another mission here from the Commander himself."

Zell chuckled, giving her a small nudge to the shoulder, "You really are mischievous Selphie!"

A twinkle in her eye confirmed his statement. "Yeppers! I am going to find out what President Laguna said to Caraway and then I'll be right behind you!"

"Can't fault those reasons! See you in a few!" He waved before taking the sputtering Carl by the arm and leading him out of the office and down the hallway, briefly remembering to shut the door behind him to prevent suspicion on Selphie's whereabouts, if only for a little while longer.

Once the Galbadisoft server loaded, she quickly organized the e-mails by name, searching for Laguna's message. Within a few seconds she found it. It was brief and to the point but it did open some mysteries. She cocked her eyebrow a bit as she continued to read, this was clearly not Laguna's style of communicating. He clearly had some help in writing this formal letter, most likely by someone who didn't have faith in his writing abilities.

" _To President Caraway,_

 _Belated congratulations on your recent appointment to Galbadian President. I am confident you will be a successful leader and usher in a great age of reconstruction for your country. I believe there is a matter of gravest importance that will undoubtedly cause hardship for you and your country. There was once a project funded and initiated here in Esthar under Sorceress Adel's reign which the results did not come to fruition until recently. The recent incidents with SeeD were not directly caused by Squall and his Garden, or that of any other Garden. In fact, they are being framed by the very people who were the end result of Project Eris. Intel has it they are on a train heading your way and will arrive shortly. Please send all SeeD personnel back to Balamb in the most expedient way possible. I will have a special mercenary contingent there to pick them up and deliver them safely to Esthar. I can then explain everything to them there. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. I have also included a few attachments which you may be interested in._

 _Sincerely,_

 _President Laguna Loire of Esthar_."

Project Eris? This was the first Selphie had heard of such a thing. Were those five they fought in Timber a direct result of this project? What was their purpose? It was clear they wanted to eliminate the Sorceress and now SeeD. In fact, it seemed they wanted to stamp out all instances of magic completely from the world. Why would a project funded under the reign of Sorceress Adel be in direct opposition to what she was? It made no sense whatsoever. One thing she did know, this vindicated Laguna in having a role to play in this and indirectly, Irvine's death.

Shifting her eyes to the attachments, she clicked a few of them. Several images opened up of Dollet's mountain with the gigantic satellite dish perched atop its bulk. These pictures were more clear and distinct than the distant view they had of the mountain as they were driving out of Dollet two days ago. There was no doubt there were missile silo doors built into the side of the rock. Despite the world peace treaty signed by all the nations, Dollet was still getting financial backing from an unknown party to continue the war against Galbadia and whoever else got in their way.

Another image showed a ledger and a few invoices regarding financial backing and shipment of military grade weapons and materials into Dollet. Yet another image showed several more invoices regarding the exact same type of materials and weapons being delivered to Galbadia just ten years prior. What was going on? Scanning further, she hit the bottom of both images and her blood ran cold. Signed in rough scrawl along the bottom of both invoices was the unmistakable name of Norg, dated ten years apart. What was he doing funding both sides of the war?

She didn't have much time to ponder over these new revelations when her focus was interrupted by a soft clicking of the door handle. She returned the wide-eyed stare of President Caraway, fully dressed in the regalia of his station. Seeing her, a SeeD, at his desk knee deep in his laptop files was the last thing he expected to witness this morning.

Selphie offered a weak smile of apology as she quickly shifted to Aero on her armband; she only had a few more instances of the spell left so she had to be judicious with them. "It's been super fun Mr. Caraway but I gotta jet now!"

"Stop!" Caraway yelled. "Guards!"

Vaulting over the desk, she slammed Caraway up against the wall with a burst of Aero before dashing past him into the hall. She could hear him screaming down the corridor, alarms went off as several ensconced lights began to protrude from the wall and launch spiraling hues of red lighting throughout the hallway. Swerving to the side as two guards rounded the corner ahead of her, she launched herself onto the main foyer hand railing, riding the bannister down the lavish steps to the front entry way. She skittered across the tiled flooring nearly slipping on it as she frantically tried to remember the routing those blips took on the laptop to get to the helipad. She hoped her friends had acquired their weapons already.

* * *

Rinoa slumped back onto the bed, its cushy, blue comforter enveloping her again. "Just leave me alone. Squall doesn't want me." She brought her shackled wrists up to her face, watching the blue light pulse through her cuffs, absently trailing the dried blood surrounding the wound on her nose given to her by Renard. Guess she got a matching scar to Squall's? How ironic.

Zell stomped his foot in frustration. Being in her father's house, bereft of all ability to make decisions, was robbing Rinoa of her will to be independent and think for herself. "That's bullshit and you know it!"

She flashed him a glare, slightly annoyed that he kept pestering her to come with them. As far as she was concerned, it was over. SeeD was a mockery across the world and a hated organization and she couldn't help but feel responsible for the whole mess just by existing. She never asked to inherit Sorceress Edea's powers upon her defeat the previous year, it was transferred unintentionally. And then to inherit Adel's powers at the behest of both Squall and Laguna on a crazed scientist's plan to allow Ultimecia to achieve time compression. She felt she had no opinion in the matter and just went along with it.

Feeling like she had no control over her own life, she simply let others do the thinking for her. Even when she was the leader of the Forest Owls, she kept asking Zone and Watts what to do and the best way forward. Throughout her time with Squall and the others, she wanted to matter, to show that she could be useful too. Even then her decisions were wrong and ended up causing more trouble than help. Maybe her father was right, she was a loose cannon; a silly child with Sorceress powers that should be contained and locked up far away from the rest of the populace.

"Stop wallowing in self-pity Rinoa!" Zell fumed.

"Hey!" She cried out as he gripped her bicep from underneath and yanked her up onto her feet forcefully. "What are you doing?"

He stabbed a finger at the ring dangling from the silver chain around her neck; perfectly crafted in replicated accuracy to the same one Squall currently wore on his left hand. It had the head of a lion engraved on its side which Squall had 'affectionately' named Griever. On the interior of the ring were the words: ' _Remember our promise_."

Rinoa followed his finger to her chest before closing her eyes at the accusation that was to come. "Rinoa," he started, "you asked me to make that for you to show how much you were willing to stand beside Squall. To be his partner, his girlfriend, his lover, whatever! Me, Quistis, Selphie, and Irvine all supported you in this! We wanted Squall to be happy. You helped him come out of his shell and in turn we got a great leader and awesome friend. If it weren't for you, he wouldn't have come back from the future once time compression ended. He would have died in limbo! If anything, I'd imagine he's extremely grateful for that."

She lowered her eyes to the floor, ashamed at how juvenile she was being to Squall; every day was another opportunity to mess things up. Zell propped his fists onto his waist as he shook his head, "Are you saying you're going to give up on him because of some spat you had and over some heartless words your father said? You know he doesn't like Squall to begin with, so why would you ever trust a single word he says? Don't tell me I wasted my time trying to painstakingly create a ring for you. I won't have it!"

Rinoa let out a small laugh, "You know…you can be really insightful sometimes Zell."

He looked taken aback by the sudden praise before smiling and scratching the back of his head in meekness, "Ah, well…I am known to be quite the romantic."

She rolled her eyes at him, "Zell, please. You're not Irvine and even he isn't a ladies…" She stopped short as an aggrieved expression passed over his face. She winced the moment his name left her lips. She kept wanting to talk about him as if he were still living. It was hard not to think of him as gone. She felt responsible for his death as well.

"Um, guys?" Carl wavered, his head retracted from the doorway after having surveyed the hallway. "There are red lights coming out of the walls and I think I hear an alarm towards the main foyer.

Zell punched a fist into his opposing hand, an evil smirk splayed on his face. "Welp, looks like we've been found out! We're going to have to fight our way out! You coming or not Rinoa?" He almost blurted out that she didn't really have a choice anyway since Squall expected him to bring her, regardless of her decision but he spontaneously decided it was best to leave that part out of it. He'd deal with that situation if it came to it.

After a moment's hesitation, she took his hand. "Okay. Can we get these cuffs off please?" She lifted her hands to the level of his face.

He took one look at the Odine bangle, its blue Estharian light flowing through its frame. "I'm afraid this type of technology is a bit beyond me right now. We're going to have to either go to Esthar itself or hopefully find a mechanic at FH who has worked on Garden before that can hopefully unlock these for us."

Her expression wilted at the news. Although she had only been a Sorceress for not even a year, she suddenly felt exposed and vulnerable having been denied access to her inherited magic. She probably couldn't even junction with a Guardian Force right now and utilize its powers to fight. She felt as inept as she was when she first took command over the Forest Owls in rebellion against President Deling. She was unsure of what she was doing then, only that she knew things needed to change.

"Oh, okay." She stated flatly, uncertain of what else to say.

"Just stick with Carl and me and you should be fine!" He flexed his fingers, tightening up the straps on his gloves. With a grin, he opened the doorway and kept it open, allowing her to go first.

The three of them bolted down the carpeted hall, pasting themselves against a wall as several guards rampaged past them down the stairwell towards the helipad. They bounded down the steps two at a time with the alarm blaring over their heads. Ahead of them through the glass windows of the front vestibule were several squad cars pulling up the driveway. In a few more minutes they would be overrun. Without Rinoa's powers and the last vestiges of their drawn magic stores dwindling quickly, they were in no shape to combat the entire Deling police contingent.

They slammed through the back double doors to see a heated battle between several teams of armed soldiers and Squall and the others firing back spells of their own. Selphie had a Wall bursting through the ground to protect the integrity of the helicopters from the hail of bullet fire. The last thing they needed was one of their rides to get busted before they even took off. Comatose on the ground were the two expected pilots, clearly opposed to their escape plan.

Zell cricked his neck as he did a few, sharp warmup jabs. "Oh yeah! Time for some pain!" He whooped loudly.

He surged across the back patio, sidestepping several lawn chairs, leaping high into the air before drop kicking one of the guards. The moment the guard hit the ground, he was out cold. "From behind!" One of the others shouted as several turned their guns toward Zell but it was already too late; he was in a whirlwind of punches and kicks, flinging several over his shoulder as he grabbed another man's head and kneed him hard in the nose, enough to crunch the bone.

"Carl here!" Frejya shouted. He turned in her direction just in time to see her toss his scythe at him.

Gripping it in mid-air, a sliver of confidence returned to him now that he had his weapon back, firmly clasped between his hands. Letting the chain filter out of the handle, he applied a touch of Confuse to its steel tip before swinging it in an arc above his head. With one fluid motion, he ducked low and shot his foot out to the side. He followed through dragging his other foot back to the first, the scythe drifting low across the ground. The jagged curve of the blade wasn't strong enough to penetrate the armor of the Galbadian soldiers but it was solid enough to trip them up. Within seconds, he had two swiftly upturned onto their backsides, each groaning in pain from the sudden upheaval.

Frejya gaped at the fluid dance both Carl and Zell were performing before them. Where Zell had a more harsh, brawler type of motion to his attacks, Carl was more subdued with more fluidity to his movements almost akin to a dance. He took two steps to the side before swinging the scythe once in a downward arc and impaling its tip into the shoulder of one of the guards. The Confusion set in almost immediately as the man turned his gun onto his companions and began firing indiscriminately. She had her bow ready with an arrow nocked but it wasn't needed.

As bloody as the battle was, it couldn't be helped. Squall bayed over the din, "Zell, Carl! Get your asses over here now!" Rinoa was already with them, having skirted the edge of the fracas, bereaved that she couldn't be of much help to them.

Not wanting to tarry any longer, Zell and Carl rushed over to the helicopters, both already being spun up with blades spinning wildly; Selphie the pilot of one with Xu the pilot of the other. They all piled in as evenly as they could, diving for the seats, slapping the seatbelts into their buckles and jamming the headsets onto their ears to better drown out the rhythmic thumping of the rotor blades.

President Caraway ran out of the house with a flurry of fresh cavalry, guns trained on the two helicopters. He lurched forward, flinging an arm in the direction of the escaping vehicles. "What are you waiting for?" He frothed. "Shoot them down!"

"Excuse me." Quistis said, unbuckling herself from her seat before sliding the door open.

Squall was meaning to pull her back but one look from her quieted him down, she knew what she was doing and he had to rely on her expertise. She needed to be quick. She closed her eyes and dug deep inside, recalling the mechanisms of a rather peculiar Estharian robot, the Elastoid. Learning magic from a man-made robot was rather difficult and it required intense study and training to get it right.

She knew she had the skill at hand when she could feel the throbbing hum vibrate through her entire body. Her eyes and hands began to glow a blinding white, Toby had to shield his eyes as the radiance propagated outward. Suddenly, thunderous tendrils of super-heated energy blasted out of her fingertips, each of the Homing Lasers designating their targets and striking with alarming accuracy. With respect to Rinoa, Quistis did not target her father but every man around him crumpled to the ground, each with burning holes in their bodies.

Exhausted from the magic, she flagged down to the floor of the helicopter. Squall was immediately by her side, placing an arm around his neck and helping her back to her seat, taking great care to buckle her securely in. Rinoa gave the two of them a queer look.

"Thanks Quistis." He said gratefully.

She merely nodded in acknowledgement through half-lidded eyes. Not all monster abilities drained her so but it was uniquely ones learned from machines that seemed to drain her energy away the most. She was just content that it was enough to enable their escape. She mumbled softly back, "I'll be fine. Just need a few minutes of rest."

Squall placed a hand on her head, smiling as he did so, "Of course Quistis."

Taking his leave, he crawled over Toby to get back into his seat. Looking up at Rinoa after buckling himself in, he noticed her slightly accusing, quizzical stare. "What?" He retorted.

"Nothing." She huffed, trying unsuccessfully to cross her arms and appear mad. After a few awkward attempts, she settled for gazing out the window. It was just like him to not even express joy at seeing her again after all that had happened the previous night. Did he even care about her? Was Zell wrong and he was just playing up Squall's affections for her just because they were friends? Or did he know just what to say to have her come with them because she was just a Sorceress that they needed to keep track of? Was her father right? She didn't know anymore.

Zell disturbed Squall's thoughts when his voice echoed in their heads over the radioed intercom in their headsets. "Well that could have gone better." He joked. Everyone groaned.

"Heads up!" Selphie boomed over the mic.

"Aw crap! I forgot about the anti-aircraft cannons they had on the border buildings!" Zell moaned.

Xu's face grew taut as she concentrated on the tracer fire unloading from below. Multitudes of rounds were soaring into the skies with flashes of light indicating their origin on the rooftops beneath them. As one, both Xu and Selphie split the helicopter formation with each jinking left and right. Several plumes of smoke spiraled past the left side of Selphie's cockpit; it appeared a few Galbadian solders were perched atop one of the higher buildings with a few manpads launching miniature missiles at their aircraft.

"What do we do?" Frejya wailed, flinching as the helicopter was buffeted by the shockwaves of rounds exploding in the air around them.

Looking over at the helicopter across from them, Toby saw through the windows a very terrified Frejya. Steeling his resolve, he unbuckled his belt and stood up in the cabin. "What are you doing?" Squall demanded.

"Doing the best I can." Toby shouted back over the din.

Staring out the window, he drew upon his internal junction with Leviathan. A shimmering portal opened in the air, splinters of light emanating from its core. A thin, fluid, incandescent tube of water began pouring forth from the opening rift, twisting and curling this way and that. As it continued its journey out into their world, it began to slowly take shape with angular points and leathery scales. Its spiked fines flaring out like a glorious set of aqua-green wings. The Guardian Force was a sight to behold.

"You need to rescind the GF now!" Squall warned. They were getting further and further away from the summon site of the Guardian Force. The junction would not hold at this distance for long. "We can't turn the helicopter around, cut off the GF!"

Sweat was already pouring down Toby's face as he could feel the strands of magic spreading thin across the void; he continued to maintain the connection. Leviathan had already materialized and unleashed an ear-piercing scream, causing many of the soldiers below to collapse to the ground in agony, holding their heads. The primal cry was muffled through the cabin and the headsets they each had on, but it was no less strident. The magnificent beast surveyed the scene before floating higher up above the chaos, disrupting the land around the buildings sporting the anti-aircraft cannons, encasing the structures in a ring of rock and stone.

"Someone stop him!" Selphie yelled from the cockpit as an inhuman wail erupted from Toby who had buckled to his knees trying to maintain the junction.

Squall leaped out of his seat and began frantically swiping through the menus on Toby's armband, seeking in vain where he had slotted Leviathan so he could disable the link. A brilliant flash of light stunned them all as the Guardian Force exploded into a million bubbles and a torrential downpour of water seemingly manifested itself out of thin air. The flood poured down from the sky, washing away every piece of artillery and drowning those stuck in the bowl of raised earth. Its job finished, Toby passed out cold on the metal floor.

"The stupid idiot!" Zell called out from the other helicopter.

"But at least we're safe." Rinoa commented, looking back on the destruction they had wrought on her hometown. She muttered under her breath, "My dad is seriously not going to like this."

"That's not the point!" Squall snapped at her, slicing a hand back at her through the air to emphasis his meaning. Rinoa was a bit taken aback by his hostility. "GFs are dangerous creatures of great power that we only use because we have need of their abilities to successfully perform our job, even if it does come at a cost. Separating the owner of the junction from the summoned GF could kill that person!"

"Then if they are so dangerous, why did you approve and coordinate with the other Gardens in allowing their students to use GFs as well if you knew of these risks? Why not keep such dangerous powers only in Balamb or eliminate them altogether?" Rinoa countered. It never did quite make sense that after Ultimecia's defeat, Squall continued in the usage of the GF and convinced the other two Gardens to follow suit and approve the usage of such beings.

Squall went to rebuke her but suddenly paused. He found that he couldn't remember the reasoning behind why he did that. "Argh! It doesn't matter. I can't even remember anymore!"

"Exactly." She affirmed confidently. "I stopped using GFs a while ago because I value my memories."

"That's not fair to say." Carl interposed, trying to inject some frivolity to the mood. "With your powers, you don't even need a GF anymore."

"Shut up Carl!" Rinoa barked.

"No! You shut it." Squall fumed, thrusting a finger at her. "Yet again, I put my people in danger to go and save you. Toby almost died trying to get us safely out of Deling City and it doesn't seem like you even care!"

If she could have thrown her hands up, she would have. Instead she settled for an exasperated sigh, "Really Squall? This again? I'm sorry for being such a burden to you all. Hyne, to think I actually believed what Zell told me. I shouldn't have come. I'm safer here with my dad than with you."

"I thought you hated your dad?" Selphie quipped.

"What did you tell her?" Squall menaced over the intercom to Zell.

"Uh..nothing!" Zell bumbled.

"I mean, it seems like you don't even care about Irvine at all and the fact that he died, like you can all just move on so quickly from a traumatic event like that! So why the sudden concern for Toby?" Rinoa raged.

"You bitch!" Selphie boomed from the cockpit. "Don't you ever say I…that we don't care about Irvine or that we don't grieve over him! You haven't the right!"

"And you, who hesitated to act; hesitated with all your Sorceress powers at your command. Why didn't you stop Fefnir? Was it something they did to you that cause you to be so frightened of them?" Squall interrogated.

"Enough! All of you!" Quistis roared, finally recovered from her previous exertion. Xu merely shook her head in frustration that she couldn't voice her opinions on the matter, seemingly locked into piloting the helicopter instead.

Quistis steamrolled on over all their protests, "Yes, the GFs are dangerous entities that even we are not entirely clear on how they work or the full extent of their powers are. Yes, we know that GFs take ahold of a place in our brains and we give up memories in return for using their power to aid in our battles. This was something we all figured out last year together and something we were prepared for. Every new SeeD recruit is now trained in this and is free to reject its usage or be sifted out of the program."

"So the students either have to accept the dangers of using the GF and its memory loss or get booted out of SeeD? Seems highly unfair." Rinoa mocked.

"If I recall," Quistis began to explain as if to a child, which steamed Rinoa further, "this decision was made to maintain our mercenary force as 'the' elite military power known to man. It was the only way to sustain our relevancy in a world with ever evolving technology and military training. And you're right, life isn't fair. SeeD isn't looking for fair, its looking for the best."

"No doubt to keep me in check since that's your entire purpose now isn't it?" Rinoa seethed.

"That's not what I said." Quistis began.

"It's what was implied." Rinoa countered. "You continue to use GFs to maintain the ability to contend with Sorceresses like me, in the off chance that I may go crazy and you'll have to put me down." She turned her gaze over to Squall. "I do remember our promise, back at Edea's orphanage, where I said I wouldn't mind it if it was your sword that pierced my heart. That's back when I thought you loved me."

"I do love you Rinoa!" Squall snarled. Why was she making this so difficult? Why did everything have to be so complicated with her? Did she not see all the things they were doing for her?

"You sure? I'm pretty sure the GF has made you forget." She clucked.

"Enough!" Quistis bellowed again. "I do seriously feel like the team mother here." A nervous chuckle from Carl over the headset. "However this is neither the time nor the place for this conversation. We need to expedite our journey back to Balamb and get it moving again. I fear something bad is going to happen soon."

Giving Rinoa one last scowl, Squall adjusted Toby in his seat and buckled him in before seating himself back into his chair. Ensuring the comatose Toby was at least in a comfortable position, he called up to the front, "Selphie, did you find what I had asked you for?"

"Yeah I did!" She positively beamed at this. "Looks like Laguna is free and clear of this. He isn't responsible for these five bad guys."

An audible sigh of relief from Zell. "That's good. I didn't think that buffoon could mastermind something like this anyway."

Squall stifled a laugh, "My thoughts exactly." Laguna may be a good leader for Esthar but he never thought things through, more often flying by the seat of his pants. It was only by the grounded advice from his two closest friends, Ward and Kiros, that Laguna was able to make any sort of sensible decisions. "Anything else?"

Selphie scrunched her brow, "Yeah. Apparently, they're from a secretive project named Project Eris. They are the final result of it."

"Enhanced humans?" Quistis pondered.

"They certainly can do everything we can and then some. They are also leagues better than we are in many respects." Squall commented. As much as he didn't care to admit it, Malthius and his gang were far better trained and seemed to have years more experience on them. It clearly demonstrated the difference between their scant teenager years training to be mercenaries and however long it took Malthius and the others to train their entire lives.

"I'll admit, that crazy punk, Theros, got the better of me a few times." Zell admitted grudgingly.

"There was something else too." Selphie continued. "Attached to Laguna's email were drone recon photos of Dollet's radio tower mountain. There are indeed missile silos all up in that castle of rock!"

"Clearly violating the world peace treaty." Quistis ruminated. "There must be a reason why they would build up for war even after it is already over."

"That would make sense why Dollet pressed for the Gardens to become immobile again as a condition of the treaty." Squall figured. "We're too dangerous as a mobile mercenary force, all the better to keep tabs on us if we're landlocked in a single location."

"And easier to launch missiles on." Selphie added with menace.

"You don't think they would do you?" Frejya peeped from the back of Xu's helicopter.

"I think so." Selphie asserted. "In fact, and here's the kicker, Norg is financing both Galbadia and Dollet's wars."

"Wait, what?!" Zell exclaimed.

"Please Zell." Quistis cringed. "Not so loud."

"Sorry, sorry…" Zell apologized for his outburst.

"Go on Selphie." Squall pressed.

"Laguna had attached two invoices detailing military grade hardware and weapons to be delivered to Galbadia ten years ago. The same shipment that's being sent to Dollet now; both signed by Norg." Selphie let out a long breath, finally relieved to let that information go.

"The proprietor of Garden…" Squall mused. Norg, a member of the Shumi Tribe that struck a deal with Cid thirteen years ago to assist in building Garden by supplying the necessary funds to build it. One could say he was a black sheep of the tribe.

"He's still alive?" Carl probed. He recalled that scary time last year when Norg's minions, posing as Garden staff, went on a head hunt for Headmaster Cid in order to kill him and take over as leader of Garden. Many of the students were divided and were fighting amongst each other as the two founders of Balamb Garden went head to head in a custody squabble over who owned SeeD.

"It certainly looks that way." Quistis remarked. "I wonder where he is now. We've looked all over Garden and we can't find him anywhere. His living pod in the MD levels is still vacant."

Squall narrowed his eyes, "It really doesn't matter right now. All we know is that he has been funding these wars for his own profit."

"Why shouldn't it matter?" Rinoa finally spoke up. "Wasn't he using SeeD, once graduated, as mercenary recruits to be hired into the local militia force to help assist government security? He was using SeeD as a means to further his war profiteering."

Quistis piggybacked onto Rinoa's statement, "As head of logistics, I do recall recruits who did not stay to become Garden staff being hired by various governmental agencies after graduation. A lot of them recently assigned to Dollet on orders, not by choice."

"And before that…Galbadia." Zell presumed.

"Wherever he is, he's playing us for fools. He's undermining the peace treaty and instigating Dollet to war now that Galbadia is placated." Squall leaned back, shutting his eyes. He felt so tired.

"How does Malthius and his group factor into this?" Frejya grilled.

"I don't think they do." Squall sighed, exhausted. At a look from Rinoa, he continued, "Norg seems to be separate from them. I highly doubt he has any ties to Esthar at this time."

"But we've got bigger problems." Selphie reminded them.

Squall snickered deprecatingly, "How does this fit into your great and marvelous plan, oh powerful Norg?"

"Squall?" Quistis asked concerned.

He waved her off. "Nevermind. We need to get back to Garden, get it mobile again and protect what's left of our people. As of right now, SeeD is on its own until we get to Esthar. As cruel as it is to say, Galbadia Garden is on their own. I need to look out for my Garden. We don't need any more dead children as a result of this fiasco."

"Or dead friends." Rinoa grieved.

If anyone saw Selphie's face, they would have immediately regretted mentioning anything remotely referencing Irvine. "I'll make them pay…" She growled.

"I know you will." Squall agreed.

* * *

 _In all honestly, this chapter never actually existed in my current outline of the story. I painted myself into a corner with President Caraway's 'abduction' of his own daughter. However, it did present an opportunity most timely on letting the protagonists in on one of the subplots regarding the Dollet/Galbadia war, so in essence, it did further my overall narrative agenda. Since we barely know Toby, Carl and Frejya and have only really seen them in action, I felt it was a nice break in the action to finally settle down and get to know a bit more about each of them and a few small tidbits of their history. The final sequence with the escape and the ensuing argument in the helicopters took many days to finally flesh out since it was quite hard to justify each person's point of view and stance in the altercation. Each one had to have his/her own reasons to strongly defend their position, be it from emotional reasons or practical. Xu was mute for most of the chapter since Quistis basically filled her role, if to a less harsh degree-we all know how much of a stickler Xu would be! As for the villain reveal, I didn't want to give away too much about the history of Malthius and his gang just yet but I wanted to give a few breadcrumbs for both the protagonists and the readers to feed off from for at least a few more chapters. The mention of Norg at all was just a brilliant coincidence due to my sudden decision to lock Rinoa in her house in the previous chapter._


End file.
